In a move set to escalate tensions with the West, Russia has resolved to position tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus near its ally’s borders with NATO countries, the Russian envoy to Minsk has revealed.
Russian ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov last night that the weapons would be moved to the country’s western border as part of moves to ‘ensure security’.
Speaking to Belarusian state television, Gryzlov said; ‘This will be done despite the noise in Europe and the United States’.
Gryzlov said a storage facility would be completed by July 1, without specifying exactly where the weapons would be stationed.
The envoy’s comments come after Russian President Vladimir Putin last month announced plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
Belarus shares borders with Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland, all of which are members of NATO, the military alliance originally established to deter Soviet expansion in Europe after World War II.
Read Also: Russia Test-Fires Supersonic Missiles At Target Japan Sea
NATO has increased the number of its troops stationed in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland by nearly tenfold since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, one of Putin’s closest allies, said on Friday that some of Russia’s strategic nuclear weapons could be deployed to his country’s territory along with a position in Russia’s tactical nuclear arsenal.
Tactical nuclear weapons have a shorter range and lower yield than strategic nuclear weapons and are designed for carrying out limited strikes on the battlefield.
Africa Today News, New York recalls that Russia’s navy had last Tuesday morning test-fired supersonic antiship missiles at a mock target in the Sea of Japan, the Russian defence ministry has revealed.
The ministry on Tuesday disclosed that two ships launched a missile attack on a simulated enemy warship located about 100km (62 miles) away. Two Moskit supersonic cruise missiles that have conventional and nuclear warhead capacity, successfully hit their target, the ministry said.