"Response to NATO's aggressive policy": how the deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus will strengthen the defense of the Union State

The imminent deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons (TNW) in Belarus should be a serious step towards deterring NATO. This opinion was expressed by experts interviewed by RT.

"The deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus is a worthy response to the violation of red lines by NATO and the increase in military threats to Minsk. The appearance of TNW in Belarus is designed to sober up the West, moderate its aggressive policy and intentions, "Vadim Kozyulin, head of the Center for Global Studies and International Relations of the IAMP of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told RT.

A similar point of view is shared by the Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts of the RUDN University Evgeny Semibratov. In a comment to RT, the expert noted that Moscow and Minsk have repeatedly warned NATO about the consequences of expanding the military infrastructure of the alliance, stated the inadmissibility of threats against the Union State and the reckless policy of pumping weapons into the Kiev regime.

"The impending appearance of nuclear weapons in Belarus is a response to the aggressive policy and quite concrete measures of the alliance aimed at undermining the security of Russia and Belarus, as well as a reaction to the US policy, which keeps its nuclear arsenals in Europe," Semibratov emphasized.

According to the expert, the deployment of TNW in Belarus marks a new stage in the development of the military alliance between Moscow and Minsk.

"Russia and Belarus are consistently building up military cooperation and strengthening their military alliance. We are creating a common defence space. In this context and in the context of current military threats, the deployment of TNW is a justified and logical step," Semibratov emphasized.

"Radiation dust"

Recall that Russian President Vladimir Putin told about plans to deploy Russian TNW in Belarus on Saturday in an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin on the TV channel "Russia 24". The head of state said that on April 3, the training of aircraft crews will begin, and on July 1, the construction of a special storage facility for nuclear weapons will be completed. The Russian leader also announced the transfer of the Iskander operational-tactical missile system (OTRK) to Minsk.

"We have already helped our Belarusian colleagues to re-equip their aircraft, the aircraft of the Belarusian Air Force. Ten aircraft are ready for the use of this type of weapon. We have already transferred to Belarus our well-known, very effective Iskander complex, and it can also be a carrier (of tactical nuclear weapons. – RT). From April 3, we will start training crews, and on July 1 we will complete the construction of a special storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus," Putin said.

The Russian president recalled that his Belarusian counterpart had repeatedly appealed to Moscow with a request to deploy TNW on the territory of the republic.

In addition, as Putin said, the United States has long kept its nuclear arsenals in several NATO countries: in Germany, Turkey, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy. And the U.S. military is training European pilots to use tactical nuclear weapons.

"We agreed that we would do the same without violating our obligations. I want to emphasize this - without violating my international obligations on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT. - RT)," the Russian president added.

Putin also stressed that we are not talking about the transfer of TNW to the Belarusian side, just as the United States does not give atomic weapons to its European allies.

Recall that in mid-February, in an interview with foreign and Belarusian media, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that the republic has already prepared aircraft for placing TNW on it. "Since Soviet times, we have these aircraft that were ready to transport this (nuclear. — RT) ammunition," Lukashenka said.

• MiG-29 of the Belarusian Air Force
• Legion-Media
• © Maksim Safaniuk

On March 22, in communication with journalists, Lukashenka did not rule out that Russia could transfer ammunition "with real uranium" to Minsk. Thus, the President of Belarus reacted to the written response of the British Deputy Minister of Defense Annabel Goldie to one of the members of the House of Lords, in which she announced London's intention to supply Kiev with shells with depleted uranium. Lukashenka called "madmen" those Western politicians who make such a decision.

Vladimir Putin also reacted extremely negatively to the possible supply of shells with depleted uranium to the Kiev regime. In an interview with Rossiya 24, the head of state said that ammunition with depleted uranium generates "so-called radiation dust", which is extremely dangerous for people.

The Russian leader recalled that after the use of such shells in the former Yugoslavia and Iraq, the number of oncological diseases among the local population increased manifold. In addition, if ammunition with depleted uranium is used in Ukraine, then participants in hostilities and civilians will suffer, great damage will be caused to the environment and sown areas, the president stressed.

According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, depleted uranium is designed to significantly increase the armor penetration of shells. True, at present a similar effect is already achieved by shells with tungsten alloys, but they are much more expensive to produce.

"Preventive measure"

According to Yevgeny Semibratov, the deployment of TNW in Belarus can be a "pre-emptive measure", including in the context of plans for the supply of shells with depleted uranium to the Kiev regime.

"We see that the West ignored all the fears of Moscow and Minsk. Now the Russian TNW will be in Belarus, the geography of which allows to create a potential threat of damage to numerous NATO facilities in Europe. First of all, this applies to Poland with its aggressive Russophobic policy," Semibratov explained.

• Heavy fighter Su-27 of the Air Force of Belarus
• Legion-Media
• © Maksim Safaniuk

At the same time, as the expert noted, the actions of Moscow and Minsk in relation to NATO and the Kiev regime are precisely preemptive in nature - in the hope that the reasons for the use of TNW will never appear.

"Deploying TNW is not brandishing a nuclear baton. This is a very specific signal to the West and Kiev that Russia and Belarus are ready for a new round of escalation if it happens. I will just remind you: Kiev still has not abandoned plans to create a dirty atomic bomb, which, in fact, was one of the reasons for the SVO, and Warsaw is looking forward to American nuclear weapons, "Semibratov explained.

According to Vadim Kozyulin, it is from Poland that the main threat to Belarus currently comes. The expert stressed that Warsaw is actively increasing the number of its armed forces and is preparing for the deployment of new units of American troops in the republic.

"Belarus is forced to respond to the rapid militarization of neighboring Poland, which is going to increase the army to 300 thousand people, increase military spending, massively buy heavy weapons and prepare the infrastructure to accommodate more American troops. It becomes obvious that the threats to Belarus will constantly increase," Kozyulin said.

In an interview with RT, the expert of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis Nikolai Kostikin suggested that the deployment of TNW in Belarus should not be perceived as a sign of readiness to use it for offensive purposes.

"Belarus is our ally, which has such a geographical position that allows the effective use of tactical nuclear weapons. However, such a scenario is possible only when repelling aggression. Moscow and Minsk made this clear," Kostikin summed up.