Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday May 25 that Russia had begun to transfer nuclear weapons to his country, concretizing the deployment announced in March by Vladimir Putin.
” The transfer of nuclear charges has begun, it has already begun said Alexander Lukashenko, answering a question from a Russian journalist in a video broadcast by the unofficial Telegram channel of the Belarusian presidency, Pul Pervogo. The President of Belarus, who was in Moscow this Thursday, May 25 for a regional summit, was however unable to indicate whether the weapons in question were already in his country. He explained that Vladimir Putin had told him the day before that he had signed the decree allowing the transfer.
The Russian president announced on March 25 that Moscow would deploy “tactical” nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus, a country located on the doorstep of the European Union, fueling fears of an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. The announcement then sparked criticism from the international community, Westerners in particular, especially since the Russian leader has since the start of his assault on his Ukrainian neighbor in February 2022 raised the possibility of resorting to arms. atomic.
” A new threat for all of Europe »
The Belarusian opponent in exile, Svetalana Tikhanovskaya, denounced a threat to the entire European continent. ” This not only endangers the lives of Belarusians, but also creates a new threat for Ukraine, for all of Europe “, she wrote on Twitter. ” When it comes to tactical nukes, most are as powerful as the one that killed 140,000 people in Hiroshima “, she added. So-called “tactical” nuclear weapons can cause immense damage, but their radius of destruction is more limited than that of “strategic” nuclear weapons.
In early April, Russia said it had started training Belarusian soldiers in the use of these nuclear weapons. In addition, Vladimir Putin has previously indicated that ten aircraft have already been equipped in Belarus for the use of such weapons and that a special warehouse will be completed by July 1.
Belarus is not directly engaged on the ground in Ukraine, but has loaned its territory to the Russian army so that it can launch its assault in February 2022.
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(With AFP)