Belarus warplanes have been upgraded so they can carry NUKES, warns Russian defence chief

Belarusian warplanes have been upgraded to carry nuclear weapons, Russia’s defense chief warned today – hours before Finland officially joined NATO.

Sergei Shoigu said Russia was taking practical steps to increase the nuclear strike potential of its close ally Belarus.

He said some Belarusian military jets are now capable of carrying nuclear warheads, and that Russia has sent Iskander missile systems – capable of carrying conventional or nuclear missiles – to Belarus.

“Some of the Belarusian ground attack aircraft have gained the ability to attack enemy targets with nuclear-armed weapons,” he told a conference at the military department

Both Moscow and Minsk also said today that Belarusian troops have begun training on a Russian nuclear-powered missile system following President Vladimir Putin’s decision to deploy tactical weapons on Belarusian territory, Moscow and Minsk said on Tuesday.

Putin said on March 25 that he would station tactical nuclear weapons on Russia’s ally, a move widely criticized.

Tactical nuclear weapons are battlefield weapons that, while devastating, have a smaller yield compared to long-range strategic weapons.

“An Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system has been handed over to the Belarusian armed forces,” Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday.

“On April 3, Belarusian crews began training in its use,” he said.

The Belarusian Defense Ministry published photos of men in uniform with the Belarusian coat of arms, their faces hidden, boarding military jets bound for Russia.

“The crew of these units will study in detail issues related to the maintenance and use of the tactical nuclear weapons of the Iskander-M missile system,” the Belarusian Defense Ministry said on Telegram.

“They will undergo a full training cycle at one of the training grounds of the Russian Armed Forces,” it said, without saying how long the training would take.

Putin’s announcement sparked fears of a nuclear conflict, but experts and governments said the move was unlikely to change the course of the conflict.

Russia is building a special storage facility for such weapons, which is expected to be ready on July 1.

Belarus’ authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday he was ready to host “strategic” Russian nuclear weapons “if necessary.”

The Kremlin also said on Tuesday that Russia would be forced to take “countermeasures” against Finland’s entry into NATO’s military alliance, as Shoigu said the move would further escalate the prospect of conflict in Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said NATO’s expansion – long criticized in Moscow – was a “compromise to our security and to Russia’s national interests” and that Moscow would closely monitor NATO military deployment in Finland.

Russia and Finland share a 1,300 km (800 mi) border, and Moscow has already said it will reinforce military divisions stationed in the west and northwest.

Finland would formally join the military alliance later on Tuesday.

Shoigu told Russia’s military leadership at a meeting that Finland’s accession “carries the risk of a significant expansion of the conflict” in Ukraine, according to a transcript published by the defense ministry.

But he said it would not affect the outcome of what Russia calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.

Russia says one of the reasons it sent its forces to Ukraine in February 2022 was to counter a threat from what it said was Western plans to use Ukraine as a platform to threaten Russia.

It says it is now waging a “hybrid war” against NATO and the West, which is backing Ukraine with multibillion-dollar packages in arms and financial aid.

Shoigu said Russia was also taking practical steps in response to increase the nuclear strike potential of its close ally Belarus.

He said some Belarusian military jets are now capable of carrying nuclear warheads, and that Russia has sent Iskander missile systems – capable of carrying conventional or nuclear missiles – to Belarus.

President Vladimir Putin said last month that Russia would station tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory.

Russia used Belarus as a launch pad for its invasion last year, and fears remained high in Kiev and the West that it would be dragged further into the conflict by Moscow.

It comes because Belarusian troops have begun training on a Russian nuclear-powered missile system following President Vladimir Putin’s decision to deploy tactical weapons on Belarusian territory, Moscow and Minsk said on Tuesday.

Putin said on March 25 that he would station tactical nuclear weapons on Russia’s ally, a move widely criticized.

Tactical nuclear weapons are battlefield weapons that, while devastating, have a smaller yield compared to long-range strategic weapons.

“An Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system has been handed over to the Belarusian armed forces,” Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday.

“On April 3, Belarusian crews began training in its use,” he said.

The Belarusian Defense Ministry published photos of men in uniform with the Belarusian coat of arms, their faces hidden, boarding military jets bound for Russia.

“The crew of these units will study in detail issues related to the maintenance and use of the tactical nuclear weapons of the Iskander-M missile system,” the Belarusian Defense Ministry said on Telegram.

“They will undergo a full training cycle at one of the training grounds of the Russian Armed Forces,” it said, without saying how long the training would take.

Putin’s announcement sparked fears of a nuclear conflict, but experts and governments said the move was unlikely to change the course of the conflict.

Russia is building a special storage facility for such weapons, which is expected to be ready on July 1.

Belarus’ authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday he was ready to host “strategic” Russian nuclear weapons “if necessary.”