Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Moscow would station “tactical” nuclear weapons on the territory of its ally Belarus. Although the threat of resorting to these types of weapons is not a first, their use on foreign territory shows the Russian leader’s desire to increase pressure on the West. Le Parisien takes stock of what we know as Ukraine requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Sunday.
What are “tactical” nuclear weapons?
There are two types of nuclear weapons: strategic and tactical. The main characteristic of “tactical” weapons lies in the fact that they are used on or near a battlefield.
But power is not taken into account to distinguish the two types of weapons: “Whether it’s 1 kiloton or 100 kilotons, a nuclear weapon is still a nuclear weapon,” declared Parisian Jean-Louis Lozier, adviser to the French Institute for International Relations (Ifri ). Therefore, the distinction has not been used in France since the 1980s.
Referring to the equipment delivered to Belarus, Vladimir Putin stated that it did not violate “international non-proliferation obligations”. Ten aircraft are ready to use this type of weapon.”
He also claimed that Iskander missiles had been sent and that from April 3 it was planned to “train the crews” and “to complete the construction of a special storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus on July 1.
What motivated this decision?
The Russian President assured that this decision was taken in response to London’s desire to send depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine, as recently mentioned by UK Deputy Defense Secretary Annabel Goldie. Vladimir Putin threatened to use these types of shells as well if Kiev received them. “Of course, Russia has something to answer for,” said the Kremlin master.
“There is nothing unusual here: the United States has been doing this for decades,” Vladimir Putin said. They have long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allies,” in reference to deployments conducted within the legal framework of NATO. “We agreed to do the same,” he added during an interview aired on Russian television on the First Public Channel.
Why in Belarus?
Minsk is an inseparable ally of Moscow in the conflict. Alexander Lukashenko, the country’s authoritarian leader since 1994, has been particularly harsh on protests against his re-election in 2020.
Belarus, while not directly taking part in the conflict, shares borders with Ukraine, but also with Poland and Lithuania, member countries of the European Union. Moscow used Belarusian territory to carry out its offensive on Kiev or to conduct strikes last year, according to Ukrainian authorities.
“If they commit aggression against Belarus, our response will be extremely cruel. Most Cruel! And the war will then take a completely different turn,” said Alexander Lukashenko in mid-February.
VIDEO. Lukashenko will include Belarus in the Russian offensive only in case of an attack against it
Alexander Lukashenko has long raised the issue of deploying Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Vladimir Putin said in his interview on national television.
What international reactions?
The majority of Westerners had not responded as of Sunday noon, with the exception of Germany, which, according to Die Welt, is speaking of a “new attempt at nuclear intimidation.” However, Ukraine has accused Moscow of taking Belarus “a nuclear hostage” through the voice of Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council. Kyiv calls for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
Putin’s statement about the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus – a step towards internally destabilizing the country – maximizes the level of negative perception and public rejection of Russia and Putin in Belarusian society. The Kremlin has taken Belarus as a nuclear hostage.
— Oleksiy Danilov (@OleksiyDanilov) March 26, 2023
However, the International Campaign for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) was on alert as of Saturday night, The Guardian notes. “As long as President Putin has nuclear weapons, Europe will not be safe. He justifies his dangerous escalation with the reference (…) to nuclear sharing within NATO. As long as countries (not) see nuclear weapons as a global problem, it gives Putin an excuse to do so,” the ICAN director said firmly.