Belarus warplanes have been upgraded so they can carry NUKES

Belarus warplanes have been upgraded so they can carry NUKES, warns Russian defence chief

• Sergei Shoigu said Russia has been forced to take counter-measures against NATO expansion
• It follows from the news that Finland was due to join the alliance later on Tuesday 

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Russia would be forced to take ‘counter-measures’ to Finland’s accession to the NATO military alliance, as Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the move raised the prospect of the conflict in Ukraine escalating further.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the expansion of NATO – long criticized in Moscow – was an ‘encroachment on our security and on Russia’s national interests’ and that Moscow would watch closely for any NATO military deployments in Finland.

Russia and Finland share a 1,300-km (800-mile) border, and Moscow has already said it will beef up military divisions stationed in its west and northwest.

Finland was due to formally join the military alliance later on Tuesday.

Shoigu told Russia’s military leadership in a meeting that Finland’s accession ‘creates the risks of a significant expansion of the conflict’ in Ukraine, according to a transcript published by the Defence Ministry.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu delivers a speech during an annual meeting of the Defence Ministry Board in Moscow

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko delivers a state-of-the nation address in Minsk, Belarus

But he said it would not affect the outcome of what Russia calls its ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine.

Russia says one of the reasons why it sent its armed forces into Ukraine in February 2022 was to counter a threat from what it said were Western plans to use Ukraine as a platform to threaten Russia.

It says it is now fighting a ‘hybrid war’ against NATO and the West, which is backing Ukraine with multi-billion-dollar packages of arms and financial support.

Shoigu said Russia was also taking practical steps to boost the nuclear strike potential of its close ally Belarus in response.

Russia says it is now fighting a ‘hybrid war’ against NATO and the West

He said some Belarusian military jets were now capable of carrying nuclear warheads, and that Russia had sent Iskander rocket systems – which can carry conventional or nuclear missiles – to Belarus.

President Vladimir Putin said last month that Russia would station tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus.

Russia used Belarus as a launchpad for its invasion last year and fears have remained high in Kyiv and the West that it could be further dragged into the conflict by Moscow.

It comes as Belarusian troops have begun training on a nuclear-capable Russian missile system following President Vladimir Putin’s decision to deploy tactical weapons on Belarusian territory, Moscow and Minsk said on Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with the State Council Presidium on developing Russian industry under sanctions pressure during his working trip to Tula on April 4

Putin on March 25 said he would station tactical nuclear arms on Russia’s ally, a move that drew widespread criticism.

Tactical nuclear arms are battlefield weapons that, while devastating, have a smaller yield compared to long-range strategic weapons.

‘An Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system has been transferred to Belarusian forces,’ Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday.

‘On April 3, Belarusian crews began training on how to use it,’ he said.

Belarus’ defence ministry published photos of men in uniforms with the Belarusian crest, their faces hidden, getting on military planes to Russia.

‘The crew of these units will study in detail issues relating to the maintenance and use of the tactical nuclear weapons of the Iskander-M missile system,’ the Belarusian defence ministry said on Telegram.

‘They will undergo a full training cycle at one of the Russian armed forces’ training grounds,’ it said, without saying how long the training would last.

Putin’s announcement spurred fears of nuclear conflict, but experts and governments said it was unlikely that the move would change the course of the conflict.

Russia is building a special storage facility for such weapons, which it plans to finish on July 1.

Belarus’s authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko said Friday he was ready to host ‘strategic’ Russian nuclear weapons ‘if need be’.

Source: Read Full Article