{"id":5379,"date":"2023-03-31T17:45:31","date_gmt":"2023-03-31T17:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=5379"},"modified":"2023-03-31T17:45:31","modified_gmt":"2023-03-31T17:45:31","slug":"russia-could-deploy-nuclear-nukes-in-belarus-leader-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/analysis\/defense\/russia-could-deploy-nuclear-nukes-in-belarus-leader-says\/2023\/03\/31\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia could deploy nuclear nukes in Belarus, leader says"},"content":{"rendered":"

TALLINN,<\/span> Estonia<\/span> (AP)<\/span> –<\/span>\u00a0Belarusian<\/span> President<\/span> Aleksandr<\/span> Lukashenko<\/span> said<\/span> that<\/span> Russia’s<\/span> strategic<\/span> nuclear<\/span> weapons<\/span> could<\/span> be<\/span> transferred<\/span> to<\/span> Belarus<\/span> along<\/span> with<\/span> some<\/span> of<\/span> Russia’s<\/span> tactical<\/span> nuclear<\/span> weapons,<\/span> urging<\/span> the<\/span> West<\/span> over<\/span> the<\/span> Kremlin<\/span> war<\/span> in<\/span> Ukraine.<\/span>\u00a0
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Russian<\/span> President<\/span> Vladimir<\/span> Putin<\/span> announced<\/span> last<\/span> week<\/span> that<\/span> his<\/span> country<\/span> plans<\/span> to<\/span> deploy<\/span> relatively<\/span> short-range,<\/span> low-yield<\/span> tactical<\/span> nuclear<\/span> weapons<\/span> in<\/span> Belarus.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Strategic<\/span> nuclear<\/span> weapons,<\/span> such<\/span> as<\/span> missile-launching<\/span> warheads<\/span> that<\/span> Lukashenko<\/span> mentioned<\/span> in<\/span> his<\/span> State<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Union<\/span> address,<\/span> would<\/span> pose<\/span> an<\/span> even<\/span> greater<\/span> threat<\/span> if<\/span> Moscow<\/span> transferred<\/span> them<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> territory<\/span> of<\/span> its<\/span> neighbors<\/span> and<\/span> allies.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Belarus<\/span> was<\/span> just<\/span> his<\/span> area<\/span> where<\/span> he<\/span> staged<\/span> the<\/span> Russian<\/span> military<\/span> invasion<\/span> of<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> 13<\/span> months<\/span> ago.<\/span> Lukashenko,<\/span> who<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> in<\/span> office<\/span> since<\/span> his<\/span> 1994,<\/span> delivered<\/span> the<\/span> annual<\/span> speech<\/span> amid<\/span> mounting<\/span> tensions<\/span> over<\/span> the<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> conflict.<\/span> Both<\/span> he<\/span> and<\/span> Putin<\/span> argue<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> West<\/span> wants<\/span> to<\/span> destroy<\/span> Russia<\/span> and<\/span> Belarus.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Putin<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> construction<\/span> of<\/span> Belarus’<\/span> tactical<\/span> nuclear<\/span> weapons<\/span> storage<\/span> facility<\/span> would<\/span> be<\/span> completed<\/span> by<\/span> July<\/span> 1,<\/span> adding<\/span> that<\/span> Russia<\/span> had<\/span> helped<\/span> modernize<\/span> Belarusian<\/span> fighter<\/span> planes<\/span> so<\/span> that<\/span> they<\/span> could<\/span> carry<\/span> nuclear<\/span> weapons.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> stationing<\/span> of<\/span> Russian<\/span> short-range<\/span> tactical<\/span> nuclear<\/span> weapons<\/span> in<\/span> Belarus<\/span> would<\/span> bring<\/span> them<\/span> closer<\/span> to<\/span> potential<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> targets<\/span> and<\/span> NATO<\/span> members<\/span> in<\/span> Eastern<\/span> and<\/span> Central<\/span> Europe,<\/span> but<\/span> the<\/span> stationing<\/span> of<\/span> strategic<\/span> nuclear<\/span> missiles<\/span> on<\/span> Belarusian<\/span> territory<\/span> would<\/span> be<\/span> It<\/span> doesn’t<\/span> make<\/span> much<\/span> sense<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> Kremlin.<\/span> These<\/span> missiles<\/span> have<\/span> intercontinental<\/span> range<\/span> and<\/span> can<\/span> reach<\/span> anywhere<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> world<\/span> from<\/span> Russian<\/span> positions.<\/span> After<\/span> challenging<\/span> Lukashenko<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> 2020<\/span> presidential<\/span> election,<\/span> Belarusian<\/span> opposition<\/span> leader<\/span> Sviatlana<\/span> Tsyhanuskaya<\/span> accused<\/span> Lukashenko<\/span> of<\/span> promoting<\/span> Russia’s<\/span> nuclear<\/span> arsenal<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> betrayal<\/span> of<\/span> national<\/span> interests.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“The<\/span> use<\/span> of<\/span> nuclear<\/span> weapons<\/span> in<\/span> Belarus<\/span> seriously<\/span> endangered<\/span> the<\/span> lives<\/span> of<\/span> Belarusians<\/span> and<\/span> made<\/span> Belarus<\/span> a<\/span> potential<\/span> target<\/span> for<\/span> attacks,<\/span> including<\/span> a<\/span> nuclear<\/span> attack<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> whim<\/span> of<\/span> two<\/span> dictators,”<\/span> Tihanuskaya<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Russian<\/span> political<\/span> and<\/span> economic<\/span> support<\/span> has<\/span> allowed<\/span> Lukashenko<\/span> to<\/span> survive<\/span> months<\/span> of<\/span> mass<\/span> opposition<\/span> protests,<\/span> increasing<\/span> his<\/span> reliance<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> Kremlin.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Lukashenko<\/span> had<\/span> previously<\/span> called<\/span> for<\/span> a<\/span> ceasefire<\/span> in<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> in<\/span> his<\/span> speeches.<\/span> He<\/span> must<\/span> declare<\/span> a<\/span> ceasefire<\/span> without<\/span> preconditions<\/span> and<\/span> halt<\/span> all<\/span> movement<\/span> of<\/span> troops<\/span> and<\/span> weapons,<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span> Ukrainian<\/span> presidential<\/span> aide<\/span> Mikhail<\/span> Podlyak<\/span> quickly<\/span> dismissed<\/span> the<\/span> proposal,<\/span> saying<\/span> a<\/span> ceasefire<\/span> would<\/span> allow<\/span> Russia<\/span> to<\/span> remain<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> occupied<\/span> territories.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Belarus<\/span> and<\/span> Russia<\/span> have<\/span> strengthened<\/span> military<\/span> cooperation<\/span> since<\/span> the<\/span> start<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> war.<\/span> Belarusian<\/span> troops<\/span> did<\/span> not<\/span> participate<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> fighting,<\/span> but<\/span> Moscow<\/span> retains<\/span> troops<\/span> and<\/span> weapons<\/span> in<\/span> Belarus.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Belarus,<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> and<\/span> Kazakhstan<\/span> renounced<\/span> remaining<\/span> Soviet<\/span> nuclear<\/span> weapons<\/span> on<\/span> their<\/span> territories<\/span> after<\/span> the<\/span> collapse<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Soviet<\/span> Union<\/span> in<\/span> 1991.<\/span> Under<\/span> the<\/span> so-called<\/span> Budapest<\/span> Memorandum<\/span> of<\/span> Understanding,<\/span> which<\/span> accompanies<\/span> the<\/span> arms<\/span> sale,<\/span> Russia,<\/span> the<\/span> US<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> UK<\/span> have<\/span> agreed<\/span> to<\/span> respect<\/span> the<\/span> territorial<\/span> integrity<\/span> of<\/span> these<\/span> countries.<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> has<\/span> repeatedly<\/span> complained<\/span> that<\/span> Russia’s<\/span> annexation<\/span> of<\/span> Crimea<\/span> from<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> in<\/span> 2014<\/span> and<\/span> its<\/span> invasion<\/span> in<\/span> 2022<\/span> violated<\/span> that<\/span> agreement.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> Friday’s<\/span> speech<\/span> on<\/span> Russia’s<\/span> possible<\/span> deployment<\/span> of<\/span> strategic<\/span> nuclear<\/span> weapons<\/span> in<\/span> Belarus,<\/span> Lukashenko<\/span> said<\/span> he<\/span> ordered<\/span> the<\/span> military<\/span> a<\/span> week<\/span> ago<\/span> to<\/span> immediately<\/span> make<\/span> the<\/span> former<\/span> base<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Soviet<\/span> intercontinental<\/span> ballistic<\/span> missiles<\/span> operational.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) –\u00a0Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said that Russia’s strategic nuclear weapons could be transferred to Belarus along with some of Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons, urging the West over the Kremlin war in Ukraine.\u00a0 Russian President Vladimir Putin announced last week that his country plans to deploy relatively short-range, low-yield tactical nuclear weapons in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[26,276,280,2480,2482],"tags":[1840,3059,3060,3061,3062,151,3063,154,3064,1224,3065,1227,3066,1312,3067,1314,1393,1421,1835,1838,1839],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/belarus.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5379"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5379"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5382,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5379\/revisions\/5382"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}