/ world today news/ “Poland will now be much more cautious when making decisions about the concentration of forces near the border with Belarus. With these words, experts explain Vladimir Putin’s sensational statement about his readiness to deploy Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus. Europe’s reaction is paradoxical: for some reason, the EU is not worried about American nuclear weapons on its territory.
Moscow and Minsk have agreed to deploy tactical nuclear weapons (NTWs) on the territory of Belarus, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced. “We have already helped the Belarusians – we reequipped the planes, 10 planes are ready for use with nuclear weapons, we handed over the Iskander. From April 3, we will begin training crews and building a nuclear weapons storage facility. We are not transferring our tactical nuclear weapon to Belarus, but we will deploy it and train the military like the US in Europe,” he said on air.
Putin noted that the weapons would be deployed without violating relevant international obligations. According to the president, the reason for such a step is Britain’s announcement about the supply of depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine.
The head of state mentioned that Belarus has long wanted to deploy Russian nuclear weapons on its territory. He added that Moscow is doing what the US has been doing for decades.
The United States has already reacted to Moscow’s decision. “We see no reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear posture, nor any indication that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons,” said a senior US presidential administration official.
The incident caused criticism in Kyiv. “The Kremlin has taken Belarus as a nuclear hostage,” said Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council. Ukraine called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in this regard.
NATO called this decision by Moscow “dangerous and irresponsible”. Bulgarian Vice President Iliana Yotova has called for urgent talks between Russia and Ukraine, saying the situation is becoming “increasingly dangerous and frightening”. Germany’s foreign ministry called Russia’s actions “another attempt at nuclear intimidation.”
TNA in Belarus will likely be upgraded Su-25 attack aircraft as well as MiG-29 fighters. We can also talk about the overhaul of a small number of Su-24M front-line bombers, which in the late USSR were the main carrier of aviation tactical nuclear weapons.
In addition, Vladimir Putin mentioned the Iskander complexes. The missiles of this complex can also be equipped with nuclear warheads. The range of Iskander missiles is hundreds of kilometers and these missiles cannot be intercepted by modern air defense systems.
The deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus will mean an escalation and a threat to European security, said the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. Interestingly, he does not see the presence of American nuclear weapons in Europe as an escalation.
This presence is widely known. In Europe, it has been since the Cold War. Especially in 2019. a committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO member states published a report that reported where the United States is deploying its B61 nuclear bombs. 20 bombs were placed at Büchel Air Base near the city of Cochem (Germany), the 702nd Squadron of the US Air Force is responsible for this.
Another 22 bombs are located at the Klein Bruegel base, where the 10th Tactical Aviation Squadron of the Belgian Air Force is based. There are 20 bombs at the Volkel base in the Netherlands. 35 bombs were planted in northeastern Italy, 50 kilometers west of the city of Udine. Italy also has another storage facility for nuclear weapons – 40 bombs are located at the Gedi Torre base in the northern part of the country, 15 kilometers from Brescia.
Finally, USAF Europe Command’s easternmost base is Incirlik, home to the USAF 39th Airlift Wing, 10th Airlift Wing, Turkish Air Force 2nd Command. 50 atomic bombs are stored in the base.
But after the collapse of the USSR, Russia withdrew all nuclear weapons from the former Soviet republics. Significant arsenals were located in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, including Belarus. In fact, to some extent, the situation is going back to what it was during the USSR – yet the US never withdrew its nuclear weapons from Europe.
“From a military point of view, the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus is of no significant importance. All countries are trying to deploy nuclear weapons far from the border, so that they are not quickly destroyed during a potential full-scale military conflict,” said Alexei Arbatov, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
“The United States has many opportunities to place tactical nuclear weapons closer to Russia – in Poland, the Baltic states, Romania, Bulgaria. But they don’t do this so as not to put the weapon in great vulnerability. Moreover, from a military point of view, the deployment of a tactical nuclear weapon on the territory of an ally does not mean readiness to use it,” the expert said.
“Neither Russia nor the US has the right to transfer nuclear weapons to other countries, this is prohibited by Articles 1 and 2 of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,” the interlocutor recalled. “NPP in Belarus will be at the disposal of the nuclear-technical troops of the 12th Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. It is a separate branch of the military that can transfer tactical nuclear weapons to the troops only by order of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, that is, the President. And this administration is subordinated only to him, directly”, he adds.
The president of Belarus has indeed spoken about his desire to have Russian nuclear weapons on the territory of his country. “I will offer Putin to return nuclear weapons to Belarus,” the Belarusian leader said in 2021. What is his motive?
“Why does Lukashenko care? This confirms the strength of the alliance between Minsk and Moscow. Now the security of Belarus is provided not only by general purpose forces, but also by nuclear weapons. Moreover, it increases the political weight of the Belarusian leader in the international arena, primarily in Europe,” Arbatov concluded.
For Russia, however, what is happening also has a clear political meaning. “The deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus is a signal from Moscow to the US and the EU that the creation of anti-Russian forces in Kiev, the pumping of weapons into Ukraine, the expansion of the US military presence in Eastern Europe increase the risks of a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO, a prolonged confrontation and an arms race,” explained Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher Institute of Technology.
“The US and the EU are trying to convince themselves and the whole world that their policy in Ukraine does not lead to an increase in strategic risks. Russia is interested in dispelling this myth. Therefore, Moscow is taking such steps: suspending its participation in the Strategic Offensive Arms Reduction Treaty, deploying tactical nuclear weapons in the neighboring country,” the interlocutor explained.
“Russia’s most important task is to instill fear in the US and EU elites of a real full-scale war, if you want World War III. The fear that was present in the West during the Cold War. This is the only thing that can stabilize the situation at the moment. When Europe and the US start talking about bunkers and homemade gauze bandages, then their authorities will start moving towards de-escalation and dialogue with Moscow,” the expert explained.
“For Minsk, this is a strengthening of the deterrence of a potential conflict on the part of the European countries. The same Poland will now be much more cautious in making decisions about the concentration of forces near the border with Belarus,” the analyst concluded.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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What are the potential repercussions of Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons deployment in Belarus on NATO’s defense strategy?
1. How does the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons by Russia in Belarus affect the security situation in Europe?
2. What is the significance of this decision from a military and strategic perspective?
3. Why has the United States not faced similar criticisms for its deployment of nuclear weapons in Europe?
4. How does the presence of nuclear weapons in Belarus change the dynamics of the Russia-Belarus alliance?
5. What message is Russia trying to send to the United States and the European Union with this move?
6. What impact do you think this decision will have on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine?
7. Do you believe that the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus is a responsible decision by Moscow? Why or why not?
8. How might the escalation of nuclear threats impact Russia’s relationship with its neighbors and the international community?
9. Are there alternative strategies that Russia could have pursued to address its concerns about the conflict in Ukraine? If so, what might they be?
10. As a leader, how would you approach the decision to deploy nuclear weapons in your country and weigh the potential risks and benefits?
