Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his intention to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Read to know more about why it might be an attempt of raising states in the Ukrainian conflict.
What are tactical nuclear weapons?
Tactical nuclear weapons are weapons intended to destroy weapons and enemy troops on the battleground. They have a relatively shorter range and lower yield compared to nuclear warheads equipped with long-range strategic missiles. Strategic missiles have the capacity of obliterating cities. According to the US government, Russia has about 2,000 tactical weapons. However, the knowledge is limited as Russia need not reveal them according to the pact between Washington and Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he is planning to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory. For a long time, President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus has been urging Moscow to station them in their nation. In the past, Russia has aided Belarus to modernize its warplanes and ensure they are capable of carrying a nuclear arsenal. Belarus and Russia have close ties and the country was a staging ground for the Ukranian invasion on February 24, 2022. Additionally, the move follows Putin’s warning of using “all available means” to fend off attacks.
More on Putin’s new move
In the broadcast on Saturday, Putin revealed the immediate trigger for the move was the UK government’s move of providing Ukraine with ‘armor-piercing shells containing depleted uranium‘. He insisted they pose an additional risk to the environment and the civilian population. Additionally, he added that Russia is doing what the US has done for decades. For decades, the US has placed its nuclear weapons in Italy, Germany, Belgium, Turkey, and the Netherlands. He also alleged Russia is not violating the international treaty banning the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
“Every day of supplying Western weapons to Ukraine makes the nuclear apocalypse closer,” stated Medvedev. Putin is “using nuclear blackmail in a bid to influence the situation on the battlefield and force Western partners to reduce supplies of weapons and equipment under the threat of nuclear escalation,” stated Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov. “The Belarusian nuclear balcony will be looming over not only Ukraine but Europe as well, creating a constant threat, raising tensions, and rattling the nerves of Ukrainians and their Western partners,” he added.