Belarus has received nuclear weapons from Russia and is ready to use them if necessary. This was stated by the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Belarusian Armed Forces, according to Belta, the Belarusian national news agency, on the Belarusian TV channel.

The military chief emphasized that Belarusian specialists have also completed the necessary training for the use of Russian nuclear weapons. According to him, this was done using simulators and real objects.

“We have motivation, we are ready, if necessary, to defend our country with all the means at our disposal,” he said, according to Belta. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously said that Russia would place nuclear weapons in Belarus and that its neighbors would not control the weapons.

Improve storage facilities
Putin announced in June that he had sent nuclear weapons to Belarus, after announcing the move at the start of the year. Although US intelligence agencies have no doubts about this, it appears that Belarus has not finished upgrading the storage facilities required for tactical nuclear weapons.

According to the Federation of American Scientists, Russia has more than 4,477 nuclear warheads, including about 1,900 tactical nuclear weapons. It is unclear how many nuclear weapons from this arsenal are currently in Belarus. This is the first time since the mid-1990s that Russia has stored such weapons outside its borders.

Russia defends the transfer of nuclear weapons by pointing out that the United States has kept some of its nuclear weapons with its European allies for decades. The country’s president also said the 1970 Non-Proliferation Treaty had not been violated. It was agreed, among other things, to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. Other countries involved in this agreement include England, France, Russia and China. (AP)