Belarus to host Russian tactical nuclear weapons on its soil; here's why this happened

Earlier this week in Minsk, Belarus, Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu and his Belarusian counterpart Viktor Khrenin signed a number of contracts outlining the process for preserving Russia's non-strategic nuclear weapons at a designated storage facility on Belarusian soil. 

Prior to that, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in late March that Minsk and Moscow had reached an agreement to station Russia's tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, a move that, in his words, does not violate Russia's nuclear non-proliferation contracts, Sputnik reported. The Russian Ambassador to Belarus stated that the tactical nuclear weapons would be placed closer to the western boundaries of the Union State of Belarus and Russia.

"I would like to note that all the activities are organised strictly in accordance with existing international obligations and do not violate the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,” Shoigu said. 

Belarus forced to strengthen its own security

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry in a statement said, "Over the last two and a half years, the Republic of Belarus has been subjected to unprecedented political, economic and information pressure from the United States, the United Kingdom and its NATO allies, as well as the member states of the European Union."

It added that "In view of these circumstances, and the legitimate concerns and risks in the sphere of national security arising from them, Belarus is forced to respond by strengthening its own security and defence capabilities."

The British government's decision to give Ukraine armour-piercing shells containing depleted Uranium, which the Russian president said was "one way or another related to nuclear technology," was highlighted as the immediate cause for the deployment of Tactical Nuclear Weapons (TNP) in Belarus.

What is a Tactical Nuclear Weapon?

The goal of tactical nuclear weapons is to eliminate enemy forces and equipment on the battlefield. They are far less effective and have a much shorter range than nuclear warheads mounted on long-range strategic missiles that can destroy entire cities. The number of tactical weapons or any other information about them has not been disclosed by Russia, AP reported.

Russian tactical nuclear weapons are believed to number over 2,000, and they comprise bombs that may be carried by planes, warheads for short-range missiles, and artillery rounds. Tactical nuclear weapons are kept at a small number of closely guarded storage locations in Russia, and it takes time to get them to combat units, whereas strategic nuclear weapons are mounted on land- or submarine-based intercontinental ballistic missiles that are constantly prepared for launch.

Russian hawks have long pushed the Kremlin to move some tactical nuclear warheads closer to the aircraft and missiles designed to deliver them as a signal to the West.