Nuclear weapons being deployed in Belarus by Russia.

Russia Plans to Deploy Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Belarus

Russia moved ahead on Thursday with a plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, whose leader said the warheads were already on the move, in the Kremlin’s first deployment of such bombs outside Russia since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union.

President Vladimir Putin claims that the United States and its allies are fighting an escalating proxy war against Russia after the Kremlin chief sent troops into Ukraine in February last year. Putin’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, said at a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart in Minsk, according to Russia’s defence ministry, “The collective West is essentially waging an undeclared war against our countries. The West is doing all it can to prolong and escalate the armed conflict in Ukraine.”

Belarus President Confirms Nuclear Weapons on the Move

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said that tactical nuclear weapons were already on the move after he said Putin had signed an order, though there was no confirmation of that from the Kremlin itself. “The movement of the nuclear weapons has already begun,” Lukashenko told reporters. Asked if the weapons were already in Belarus, he said: “Possibly. When I get back I will check.”

It is still unclear exactly when the Russian tactical nuclear weapons will be deployed in Belarus, which has borders with three NATO members – Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Russia will remain in control of the weapons.

What are Tactical Nuclear Weapons?

Tactical nuclear weapons are nuclear weapons used for specific tactical gains on the battlefield, and so are usually smaller in yield than the strategic nuclear weapons designed to destroy the biggest cities of the United States or Russia.

Russia has a huge numerical superiority over the United States and the NATO military alliance when it comes to tactical nuclear weapons: the United States believes Russia has around 2,000 such working tactical warheads. The United States has around 200 such tactical nuclear weapons, half of which are at bases in Europe.

Is the World Facing a Nuclear Danger?

The United States has said the world faces the gravest nuclear danger since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis because of remarks by Putin during the Ukraine conflict, but Moscow says its position has been misinterpreted.

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, signed by the Soviet Union, says that no nuclear power can transfer nuclear weapons or technology to a non-nuclear power, but it does allow for the weapons to be deployed outside its borders but under its control.

Conclusion

The deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus is a significant move by Russia, and it remains to be seen how the West will respond. The world is watching with bated breath as tensions between Russia and the West continue to escalate.