MINSK, June 30. /TASS/. Belarus will be ready to use non-strategic nuclear weapons if its sovereignty and independence are jeopardized, Belarusian First Deputy Defense Minister and Chief of the General Staff Pavel Muraveiko said.
"One of the last arguments and theses, which serve as a restraining factor is the re-deployment of non-strategic nuclear weapons in our country. We have learnt how to handle these weapons, we can use them confidently and we are capable of doing so. You can be sure, we will do this if our country’s sovereignty and independence are at risk," he said in an interview with the ONT television channel.
On March 25, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that at Minsk’s request, Moscow would deploy its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, similar to what the United States had long been doing on the territory of its allies. Moscow had already provided Minsk with Iskander tactical missile systems capable of carrying nuclear weapons and helped Minsk to re-equip its planes to carry specialized weapons. Missile crews and pilots underwent training in Russia. On June 16, 2023, Putin said that the first Russian nuclear warheads had already been delivered to Belarus and the entire batch would be deployed by the end of the year. On June 23, 2023, Lukashenko said that a larger part of warheads was already in Belarus and in late April 2024, he said that Russia had deployed several dozen nuclear warheads.
Belarus’ updated military doctrine passed by its parliament in April says that Minsk’s ability to prevent military perils rests on the support of its allies, first of all Russia. The deployment of Russian nuclear weapons is seen as a major factor of detente.