MINSK, May 25. /TASS/. Russia and Belarus made a decision on countermeasures in the military-nuclear sphere amid a significant exacerbation of threats on both countries’ western borders, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Thursday.
"Amid a sharp exacerbation of threats on the western borders of Russia and Belarus, a decision on countermeasures in the military-nuclear sphere was made," the Russian defense chief said at a meeting of the Defense Ministers’ Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Minsk.
Russia handed over Iskander-M tactical missile systems capable of using missiles with both conventional and nuclear warheads to the Belarusian armed forces. Also, some Su-25 combat planes were re-equipped for carrying nuclear weapons, Shoigu said.
"The Belarusian personnel have undergone the required training at Russian training centers," the defense chief said.
The Russian defense minister informed his CSTO counterparts that he had signed documents earlier on Thursday, "defining the procedure for the presence of a special storage facility for nuclear munitions on Belarusian territory."
"Let me note that the entire set of measures has been organized in compliance with the existing international commitments and do not violate the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons," Shoigu said.
"Control and a decision on employing weapons will remain Russia’s prerogative," the defense chief stressed.