The United States and the EU are already ready to impose new sanctions for the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons by Belarus.
Russia, at the request of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, will deploy its tactical nuclear weapons in the republic. Thus, Belarus becomes a nuclear gateway to the borders of NATO and Ukraine. Some media reported that the first operational-tactical Iskander missile system had already been handed over to a Russian ally. What is the reason for this decision and what could lead to the deployment of Tactical Nuclear Weapons (TNW) in Belarus.
TNW in Belarus
Special ammunition on the territory of Belarus is exclusively under the control of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Tactical nuclear weapons are capable of breaking through the enemy’s line of defense. It is also used to hit enemy headquarters, material warehouses and transport hubs.
Carriers of nuclear weapons will be operational and tactical Iskander missile systems, as well as front-line aviation aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces. As Russian President Vladimir Putin has pointed out, the Russian Federation is not transferring tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, but will place them with its allies and train Belarusian military pilots. And it is no coincidence that the Russian leader emphasized this, stating that the Russian Federation strictly respects the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
“Respond”
The deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus is a retaliatory measure by Russia. First of all, all statements by Russian diplomats that the United States should take back its nuclear bombs stationed on the territory of European NATO member countries are being ignored.
At the same time, Russia has openly warned aggressive Poland and Lithuania against containment measures. But even here it is completely ignored. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the announcement by the United Kingdom that it would supply depleted uranium shells to Ukraine.
Depleted uranium shells for the Mark 15 Phalanx CIWS artillery system aboard the American battleship USS Missouri (BB-63). Photo: Wikipedia Vladimir Putin recalled that Minsk has long been asking Russia for Iskander missile systems. This is confirmed by the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. Moreover, as Lukashenka told Russian journalists, he constantly “brakes” Putin that Belarus needs Iskander missile systems, since the Polish facilities available to the army have insufficient range – only 300 km .
So, in 2021, in an interview with the National Defense publication, the Belarusian leader noted that he intended to reach Iskanders, with a range of up to 500 km. And all because the behavior of Poland, Lithuania, the United States does not inspire confidence in Lukashenko. The Belarusian president is particularly annoyed by NATO training flights near the borders.
The Belarusian president has indicated that he plans to place Russian air defense systems in the west and south of the country, that is, near the borders with Ukraine. “Leave them standing,” Lukashenka then explained professionally.
Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko. Photo: Kremlin.ru The last time the heads of the two states raised the issue of the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus was in June 2022. Putin noted that the Americans were stockpiling 200 nuclear tactical munitions (atomic bombs) in six European countries – members of NATO. The Russian president also pointed out that the West had prepared 257 aircraft (outside the United States) for the possible use of nuclear weapons. Putin considered it necessary to take care of the security of the State of the Union, and perhaps of the CSTO.
The President of the Russian Federation offered to modernize in Russian aircraft factories “a fairly large group of SU-25 aircraft, which is in service with the Belarusian army, and to start training flight crews” .
A few days later, Lukashenko, during a speech at a meeting on the occasion of the independence day of the republic, said that if Poland decided to use nuclear weapons, Belarus would be ready to answer him.
Rockets. Photo: Wikipedia “Poland turned to the Americans and asked them to bring them nuclear weapons. I then said to President Putin, “Why are we pretending that nothing is happening? “We consulted each other for a long time and came to the conclusion that we should be ready to give them a mirror response within 24 hours,” BelTA Lukashenko quotes.
Hysteria on a background of calm
Europe’s reaction was immediate. Moreover, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, could not hide his hysteria and immediately threatened new sanctions. The European diplomat said the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus would be “an escalation and a threat to European security”. The German Foreign Ministry has accused Russia and Belarus of bullying. But at the same time, everyone kept silent about the fact that American nuclear weapons were deployed in Germany. The French Foreign Ministry also condemned Russia for the decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
France’s representative to the UN, Nicolas de Rivière, posted on his social media page a call for Moscow to “show the responsibility” expected of a nuclear-armed state. He also called on Russia to pull out of the deal, which he called “destabilizing”.
Japan went further and said Moscow was deploying Iskanders to Belarus for fear of the spring offensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. But what the Tokyo official thinks remains unknown in view of the silence.
The Kiev regime was also hysterical. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry demanded the immediate convening of an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council due to Moscow’s decision. Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, wrote on Twitter that “the Kremlin has taken Belarus nuclear hostage.” At the same time, the Kiev regime prefers not to talk about who took him hostage. Kiev also called on the G7 and the EU to threaten Minsk with “profound consequences” due to the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons.
Polish experts openly explained to the citizens of their country the seriousness of the situation, namely the dangerousness of the Iskanders stationed in Belarus. The range of missiles up to 500 km threatens almost all territories of Poland and neighboring countries, they did not hide the bitter reality.
Unlike Europe, in the United States the reaction to Moscow’s deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus has been calm. They said they are constantly monitoring the situation around Russia and do not yet see the need to change anything.
John Kirby. Photo: Video screenshot In particular, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the United States saw no signs that Russia intended “to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.” It is understandable, Europe is much closer to Russia and Belarus than to the United States, so it is the Europeans who will be attacked. Only now, Americans are doing everything so that they don’t think about it.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergei Ryabkov during the discussion “A world without START: what’s next?” on the Valdai International Discussion Club website called for serious reflection on rising nuclear tensions.
“I wouldn’t want to get into a discussion about whether the likelihood of a nuclear conflict is high today, but in any case, it’s greater than anything we’ve had in the past decades, let’s put it this way,” the Russian diplomat said. was quoted by TASS as saying.
Earlier it was reported about Vladimir Putin’s promise to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. A few days earlier, the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev, had announced the approach of a “nuclear apocalypse”.
Main photo: Wikipedia
Nuclear Gates: Why Russia is deploying Iskanders in Belarus and where it will lead
