WSJ: Russia deploys nuclear weapons in Belarus near NATO borders
Russia is deploying nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus. Through the mediation of the Lukashenka regime, the Kremlin carries out these manipulations on the borders with NATO member countries.
The Wall Street Journal reported this.
As the publication notes, the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, announced at the end of last month that Russia had completed the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in the country.
American officials should have provided full information on implementing this plan during the transfer announcements. It was assumed that the Belarusian dictator was bluffing.
At the same time, in July of last year, the Intelligence Service of the US Department of Defense stated that there was "no reason to doubt" Putin's statements about sending nuclear weapons to Belarus.
"The Federation of American Scientists analyzed intelligence data from open sources, including video footage of the Ministry of Defense of Belarus, and concluded that the Lida air base, located 40 kilometers from the Lithuanian border, and the only wing of the Belarusian Air Force equipped with Su-25 aircraft, is the most likely candidate to carry out Belarus's new mission of "nuclear exchange" with Russia," the WSJ writes.
The publication notes that Lukashenko made this statement at a time when Russia began more aggressive rhetoric towards the West.
Recently, Putin said Finland could "have problems" due to joining NATO.
In November, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia Medvedev called Poland an "enemy" that risks losing its independence.
"Putin's provocative nuclear move in Belarus is a reminder of what is at stake in Ukraine," the WSJ concluded.
However, contrary to the assertion of The Wall Street Journal, the monitoring group "Belarusian Gayun" emphasizes that despite the entire list of sources, the publication has not provided concrete evidence of the presence of Russian tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus.
For reference:
At the end of May, the defense ministers of the Russian Federation and Belarus signed an agreement on the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Moscow transferred to Minsk the Iskander-M missile complexes, which are capable of launching missiles with a nuclear warhead.
It is worth noting that at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, Russian aviation repeatedly attacked the border regions of Ukraine with planes coming from the territory of Belarus.
The Russian army closely cooperates with the dictatorial regime of Lukashenko and actively conducts military propaganda on its territory, involving its terrorist units in joint "training" that has been going on for more than 87 weeks.
In November, it was reported that Russia continued to relocate components of tactical nuclear weapons to the territory of Belarus in mid-September. According to railway officials, the occupiers overturned two trains, which included more than 26 wagons.
