Moscow Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in the former Soviet republic of Belarus. The leaders in Moscow and Minsk had agreed on this, Putin told state television on Saturday evening. Russia is not violating the international nuclear non-proliferation treaty. The Kremlin chief pointed out that the United States also has nuclear weapons stationed with allies in Europe. “We’re just doing what they’ve been doing for decades.” Belarus is a neighbor of both Russia and Ukraine.
The United States also has nuclear weapons stationed in Germany. In the past, Putin had called for their withdrawal because Moscow saw itself as a threat. Now the head of the Kremlin emphasized that Russia – like the USA – would not let any other country have its nuclear weapons. Rather, they would be kept there, and there would be training in weapons. Putin announced that training in Belarus will begin on April 3. The shafts for the Iskander missiles, which can be equipped with nuclear warheads, should be ready by July 1st. There was initially no information from Minsk.
Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya wrote on Twitter that Russia’s deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus directly violates the Belarusian constitution and grossly contradicts the will of the people. In doing so, she referred to Belarus’ status as a non-nuclear state, which was expressed in the 1990 Declaration of State Sovereignty.
According to information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute SIPRI, in January 2022 Russia had a stock of around 4,477 nuclear warheads, around 20 fewer than in 2021. Around 2,500 of these were strategic warheads and almost 1,900 were tactical nuclear warheads.
According to SIPRI information, in January 2022 Russia had the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, followed by the USA with 3,708 nuclear weapons. In third place is China with an estimated number of 350.
Strategic nuclear weapons are designed for long-range use, they can travel over 5,500 kilometers. Tactical nuclear weapons, on the other hand, have shorter ranges and lower yields, and are intended for direct combat use. At the same time, the SIPRI researchers point out that these are only estimates.
Belarus and Russia closest allies
Belarus and its ruler Alexander Lukashenko are among Moscow’s closest allies. Lukashenko has repeatedly asked for the stationing of tactical nuclear missiles, Putin said. The long-term ruler in Minsk – often referred to as “Europe’s last dictator” – also regretted that Belarus got rid of its nuclear weapons after the collapse of the Soviet Union more than 30 years ago. Ukraine also gave up its nuclear weapons at the time.
Russia and Belarus are closest allies.
(Photo: IMAGO/SNA)
Russia has already helped Belarus convert aircraft, ten of which are now equipped to also launch tactical nuclear weapons, Putin said. Tactical nuclear weapons have a shorter range than ICBMs, but still several hundred kilometers. The explosive effect is between 1 and 50 kilotons of TNT. However, Russia is not stationing any strategic nuclear weapons in Belarus that could reach the United States, for example.
With the stationing, Russia is reacting to the increasing tensions with NATO in the wake of Putin’s war against Ukraine. Russia invaded Ukraine more than a year ago. Specifically, Moscow was recently outraged about the possible delivery of uranium ammunition from Great Britain to Ukraine. The projectiles with depleted uranium have a special impact, for example to destroy tanks.
Putin warned on state television against the use of such ammunition. Uranium ammunition is “among the most harmful and dangerous for humans” because the uranium core causes radioactive dust and contaminates the soil. “Without exaggeration, we have hundreds of thousands of such missiles,” he said. So far, however, they have not been used.
Intimidation of NATO, say experts
Scientists rated Putin’s announcement as an important signal. “This is part of Putin’s attempt to intimidate NATO,” said expert Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists, which specializes in armaments and security issues. However, Russia does not derive any military benefit from this step, since it already maintains a comprehensive nuclear arsenal on its own territory. Nikolai Sokol from the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation described Putin’s decision as an important step. Russia stationing nuclear weapons outside its territory is a big change.
After Putin’s announcement, the US Presidential Office said there was no reason to change US nuclear weapons policy, nor were there any signs that Russia was preparing to use a nuclear weapon. The United States monitored the situation and remained committed to NATO’s collective defense. The US Department of Defense made a similar statement. A senior government official said Russia and Belarus had been discussing such an agreement since last year.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), an alliance of non-governmental organizations, spoke of an extremely dangerous escalation. In connection with the war in Ukraine, the risk of a misjudgment is very high. There is a risk of catastrophic humanitarian consequences, said the alliance, which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017.
London accuses Putin of misinformation
The British Army has been using depleted uranium in armor-piercing shells for decades. The Ministry of Defense in London accused Putin of misinformation after speaking of a “nuclear component”. Putin knows that this has nothing to do with nuclear weapons or capabilities.
As part of NATO’s nuclear deterrent, the United States has stationed nuclear bombs in several European countries. There is no official information on this, but nuclear weapons are said to continue to be stored in the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Germany – as well as in the Asian part of Turkey. Other NATO countries, Great Britain and France, have their own nuclear weapons.
Up to 20 US nuclear bombs are said to be stationed at the Bundeswehr air base in Büchel in the Rhineland-Palatinate Eifel, which are to be used in an emergency with the Bundeswehr’s Tornado fighter jets. The Tornados stationed in Büchel are to be replaced by modern F35 fighter jets from US production from 2027.
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In the interview, Putin also said that given Western tank supplies to Ukraine, Russia will increase its own tank production. “The total number of tanks in the Russian army will exceed Ukraine’s by a factor of three, even more than three times.” While Ukraine will receive 420 to 440 tanks from the West, Russia will build 1,600 new tanks or modernize existing tanks.
Putin also said Russia could produce three times the amount of ammunition that western Ukraine wants to supply. The national armaments industry is developing at a rapid pace. However, the Kremlin chief claimed that he did not want to overly militarize his own economy. In fact, a government commission has already been set up in Moscow to ensure that the economy meets the needs of the military. While the Russian economy is suffering severely from Western sanctions, the defense industry is working at full speed.
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