US intelligence officials have stated that they have no reason to doubt Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim that he has moved nuclear weapons to Belarus. This announcement comes from senior officials with a division of the US Defense Department.
Last month, Putin stated at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that the first Russian nuclear warheads were delivered to Belarus for deterrence purposes. Russia currently has around 4,477 deployed and reserve nuclear warheads, including approximately 1,900 tactical nuclear weapons, according to the Federation of American Scientists.
While it is unclear how many of these weapons Putin intends to move to Belarus, Western officials have never publicly confirmed any transfers. However, senior officials with the US Defense Intelligence Agency told reporters on Friday that they have no reason to doubt Putin’s claims.
Although the officials did not disclose why they believe this, they acknowledged that tracking these weapons is challenging for the US intelligence community, even through satellite imagery. CNN previously reported that it did not appear Belarus had finished upgrading the necessary storage facilities to house tactical nuclear weapons, and available satellite imagery did not show signs of preparations and security typically seen at a Russian nuclear facility. However, sources informed CNN that there are several facilities in Belarus from the Soviet era that could potentially house some of these weapons.
UK Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace stated earlier that the UK had seen signs of progress but did not elaborate on what signs had been observed. US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller also declined to answer questions about the weapons’ locations.
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko previously stated that he would not hesitate to use the Russian tactical nuclear weapons stationed in his country if faced with aggression. However, the US Defense Intelligence Agency officials believe Lukashenko would have no control over the arsenal, as it would likely be fully controlled by Russia.
The officials also stated that the movement of these weapons to Belarus would not alter the global nuclear landscape or increase the risk of a nuclear incident. This is because the weapons would be in storage rather than forward deployed and would be under the control of Russian forces.
Miller added that the United States has not seen any reason to adjust its own nuclear posture or any indication that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon.