World News | Russia to deploy nuclear weapons near Belarus’ western border, envoy says

TALINN, April 3 (AP) — Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons will be deployed near Belarus’s border with its NATO neighbors, Russia’s ambassador to Belarus said Sunday amid tensions between Russia and the West over Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Ambassador Boris Gryzlov’s comments follow recent statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin about plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Russia’s neighbors and allies. The announcement marks yet another attempt by Russian leaders to use nuclear threats to deter Western support for Ukraine.

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Putin has said construction of a tactical nuclear weapons storage facility in Belarus will be completed by July 1, adding that Russia has helped modernize Belarusian warplanes so they can carry nuclear weapons.

The two neighbors have reached an agreement that envisages close economic, political and military ties. Russia has used Belarusian territory as a staging ground for its invasion of Ukraine and has maintained a contingent of troops and weapons there.

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In a speech broadcast on Belarusian state television late Sunday, Gryzlov said Russia’s nuclear weapons would be “moved closer to the western borders of our coalition countries,” without giving any exact location.

“It will expand our defense capabilities and it will be done despite all the noise from Europe and the United States,” he said, referring to Western criticism of Putin’s decision.

Belarus shares a 1,250-kilometer (778-mile) border with NATO members Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

The purpose of tactical nuclear weapons is to destroy enemy forces and weapons on the battlefield, and they have a relatively short range and much lower yield than nuclear warheads mounted on long-range strategic missiles capable of destroying entire cities.

Deploying Russian tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus would bring them closer to potential targets in Ukraine and NATO members in Eastern and Central Europe.

Belarusian authoritarian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said on Friday that some of Russia’s strategic nuclear weapons could be deployed to Belarus along with some of Russia’s tactical nuclear arsenal. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)