Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday that Russia had begun to transfer nuclear weapons to his country. Vladimir Putin announced on March 25 that Moscow would deploy "tactical" nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus.
The announcement provoked criticism from the international community, the West in particular, especially since the Russian leader has since the beginning of his assault against his Ukrainian neighbor evoked the possibility of using atomic weapons. Belarus is not directly engaged on the ground in Ukraine, but has lent its territory to the Russian military so that it can launch its assault in February 2022.