Lukashenko says Russia has begun transferring tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus

“The transfer of nuclear weapons has begun,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko, quoted by Le Monde.

On Thursday morning, the Russian Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, signed with his Belarusian counterpart, Viktor Hrenin, the documentation on “procedures for storing Russian non-strategic nuclear weapons in a special base in Belarus, in Minsk”.

The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, announced in March that he decided to transfer tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, in the context of tensions with NATO due to the military conflict that broke out through the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Moscow administration said that the decision is Russia’s reaction to the proximity of the military infrastructure of the North Atlantic Alliance to the Russian borders.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently stated that Russia’s decision to transfer tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus “is part of a pattern observed for many years, but especially since the start of the invasion in Ukraine, of dangerous and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric “.

Russia’s decision was also condemned by the Washington Administration. “This is a dangerous escalation. We have all noticed and are concerned that President Vladimir Putin might use what he considers to be a non-strategic tactical nuclear weapon or he might make some sort of demonstration of escalation, but an escalation with managed risk. We are watching the situation closely, and it is essential that we follow it closely,” said Wendy Sherman, US Deputy Secretary of State, in April.