MOSCOW, August 28. /TASS/. The West’s aggressive behavior near the borders of the Union State of Russia and Belarus was the reason for the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council Alexey Shevtsov said in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

"The aggressive behavior of our Western neighbors near the borders of the Union State forced us to take retaliatory measures, including the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus and increasing the combat potential of the aviation component of the joint regional group of troops," he said.

According to the official, even before the special military operation, Western countries increased military, political and economic pressure on Minsk, "openly sponsored the Belarusian opposition activists and trained militants."

"They essentially wanted to make the country a second Ukraine, another anti-Russia," he said.

According to the official, work is now being done on orders from the presidents of Russia and Belarus, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, to update the security concept of the Union State, which "will determine the key areas and mechanisms for the accomplishment of our common goals to ensure security and stability, based on a comprehensive analysis of the international situation."

Shevtsov stated that, "Western sanctions have achieved the opposite of their intended effect and further strengthened relations" between Russia and Belarus.