Notwithstanding “noise in Europe and the United States,” the Russian ambassador to Belarus insists that weaponry will be moved to the country’s territory.
According to the Russian ambassador to Minsk, Russia would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus close to its ally’s borders with NATO nations, escalating tensions with the West.
In an effort to “guarantee security,” the weaponry would be relocated to Belarus’ western border, according to Russian ambassador Boris Gryzlov on Sunday evening.
Gryzlov said on Belarusian state television, “This will be done in spite of the commotion in Europe and the United States.”
Gryzlov stated that a storage facility would be finished by July 1 without elaborating on the precise location of the weaponry.
The envoy’s remarks follow Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement last month that Belarus will get tactical nuclear weapons.
Belarus is bordered by the NATO nations of Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland, which were all founded to thwart Soviet expansion in Europe following World War II. All three of these nations are NATO members. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February of last year, NATO has nearly tenfold increased the number of its troops stationed in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.
One of Putin’s closest supporters, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, stated on Friday that some of Russia’s strategic nuclear weapons as well as a position in its tactical nuclear arsenal may be moved to his nation’s borders.
Nuclear weapons that are used in tactical situations on the battlefield have a smaller yield and shorter range than strategic nuclear bombs.
