Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday he would not hesitate to order the use of Russian tactical nuclear weapons – which will be deployed in Belarus – if his country faces aggression.
Earlier this year, Vladimir Putin announced the planned deployment of short-range nuclear weapons in Belarus, a country neighboring Moscow, a move widely seen as a warning to the West as it stepped up military aid to Ukraine.
The Russian president has stressed that Russia will retain control over them, but Lukashenko’s statement contradicted that.
“God forbid I have to make a decision to use those weapons today, but I would not hesitate if we are faced with aggression,” Lukashenko, known for his brutal statements, said, according to the BelTA state news agency.
Russian officials did not immediately comment on Lukashenko’s comments.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (pictured left with Vladimir Putin on Friday) said on Tuesday he would not hesitate to order the use of Russian tactical nuclear weapons – which will be deployed in Belarus – if his country faces aggression
Lukashenko stressed that it was he who asked Putin to deploy Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus, not the other way around.
He argued that the move was necessary to deter potential aggression.
“I believe that no one would be willing to fight against a country that has such weapons,” Lukashenko said. “Those are weapons of deterrence.”
Putin said during Friday’s meeting with Lukashenko that work on building the nuclear weapons facilities will be completed by July 7 and 8 and they will be moved to Belarusian territory soon after.
Tactical nuclear weapons are intended to destroy enemy troops and weapons on the battlefield.
They have a relatively short range and much lower yield (from a fraction of a kiloton to about 50 kilotons) than warheads mounted on intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of destroying entire cities.
In comparison, strategic nuclear weapons can have a yield of 100 kilotons to more than a megaton, for which much larger warheads are available.
There are 1,000 kilotons for a single megaton.
Earlier this year, Vladimir Putin announced the planned deployment of short-range nuclear weapons in Belarus, a country neighboring Moscow, a move widely seen as a warning to the West as it stepped up military aid to Ukraine. Pictured: Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile systems drive down a street ahead of a military parade in Moscow, May 9
Only the United States had so far used nuclear weapons in anger – in the 1945 attacks on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
‘Fat Man’, the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, had an explosive force of 21 kilotons. The blast killed an estimated 60,000 to 80,000 people.
The most powerful atomic bomb ever created and tested was the Russian Tsar Bomba, which showed a blast yield of 50 to 58 megatons.
Lukashenko said Belarus does not need Russia’s strategic nuclear weapons to be deployed on its territory. “Am I going to fight America? No,’ he said.
However, the Belarusian leader added that Belarus was also preparing facilities for intercontinental nuclear missiles, just in case.
Along with Ukraine and Kazakhstan, Belarus hosted a significant portion of the Soviet Union’s nuclear arsenals when they were all part of the Soviet Union.
Those weapons were withdrawn to Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 under a US-sponsored deal
Lukashenko stressed that it was he who asked Putin to deploy Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus, not the other way around. Pictured: The pair are seen at a gathering in Sochi, Russia on June 9
Russia has not said how many of its tactical nuclear weapons would be sent to Belarus.
The U.S. government believes Russia has about 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons, including aircraft-carryable bombs, short-range missile warheads, and artillery shells.
Russia used the territory of Belarus to send its troops to Ukraine on February 24, 2022 and has kept troops and weapons on its ally’s territory.
Lukashenko, who has been in power for 29 years, relied on Russia’s political and economic support to survive months of protests, mass arrests and Western sanctions following 2020 elections that kept him in power, but at home and abroad were commonly seen as rigged.