Russian dictator Vladimir Putin likely intended to plant Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus even before a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
However, the aggressor decided to combine the deployment of a tactical nuclear weapon in Belarus with the start of a new information campaign to intimidate Ukraine and the EU countries. Back in November 2021, the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, offered Moscow to deploy nuclear weapons, and in February 2022, Minsk canceled a constitutional clause securing the neutral status of Belarus. This is stated in a new report by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The institute recalled that back in February last year they were informed that the Kremlin might try to place tactical or strategic nuclear weapons in Belarus and deepen control over this country.
Putin likely refrained from deploying weapons to Belarus at the start of the 2022 invasion in order to preserve the possibility of deploying them as part of an upcoming Russian information operation to manipulate the West, ISW notes.
Recall, on March 25, Russian dictator Vladimir Putni, in an interview with the Russia 24 propaganda channel, said that he would place a tactical nuclear failure on the territory of Belarus. He also confirmed the transfer to the dictator Alexander Lukashenko of one Iskander OTRK, which is a potential carrier of nuclear weapons.
The International Campaign to Ban Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has already criticized Vladimir Putin’s statement about the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus.
Source: Racurs
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