Moscow, (BLAZETRENDS).- The President of Belarus, Alexandr Lukashenko, announced the beginning of the transfer of Russian tactical nuclear weapons to the territory of the former Soviet republic, which shares a border with Ukraine.
“We had to prepare the place for storage and so on. We did it. Therefore, the transfer of nuclear charges has already begun,” Lukashenko told Russian television.
Reported by Vladimir Putin
Lukashenko assured that Russian President Vladimir Putin explained to him during the events of the Eurasian Economic Union in the Kremlin that he had already informed of the decree on the placement of nuclear weapons in Belarus.
“We are talking about a specific document. The decision was made to build on what was said verbally,” he stated.
When the reporter asked him if said weapons had already reached Belarusian territory, the president replied: “It is possible. I’ll get there and check it out.”
Documents signed by the two countries
The Defense Ministers of Russia, Sergei Shoigu, and of Belarus, Viktor Khrenin, signed today in Minsk the documents that regulate the storage of these Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarusian territory.
“In accordance with the decision of our supreme commanders, work has been organized to deploy Russia’s non-strategic nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus,” he stressed.
Conversion to enable the use of nuclear weapons
He recalled that the Iskander-M tactical-operational missile system, capable of using missiles not only in conventional, but also in nuclear weapons, has already been delivered to Belarus.
“Some of the Belarusian aircraft have been converted for the possible use of nuclear weapons. The military have received proper training,” he added.
In turn, Khrenin said that the deployment of non-strategic nuclear weapons in Belarus and the accumulation of the potential of the grouping of troops of both countries is a response to the aggressive actions of the West.
“Effective response to the aggressive policy of hostile countries”
“The deployment of non-strategic nuclear weapons is an effective response to the aggressive policy of countries hostile to us,” the minister said.
Shoigu stressed that while Russia deploys non-strategic nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus, Moscow will retain control over them and the decision on their eventual use.
The decision to use them remains Russian
“Russia does not transfer nuclear weapons to the Republic of Belarus: control over them and the decision to use them remains with the Russian side,” he stressed.
Last March, the head of the Kremlin announced an agreement with his Belarusian counterpart for the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in the neighboring country.
training and coaching
Already in April, the Belarusian Army received training in Russia on the use of special tactical ammunition for Iskander-M missiles.
In the middle of the same month, Russia further announced that the training of Belarusian forces to operate Su-25 attack aircraft, which were equipped to carry tactical nuclear weapons, had been completed.