Russia denies plans to send nuclear weapons to Belarus

December 21, BPN. Moscow does not plan to supply Belarus with nuclear-tipped missiles to be used by Belarus-based Su-25 attack aircraft and Iskander missile systems, the Russian foreign ministry spokesperson told Kommersant.

Mariya Zakharova’s statement comes the day after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Alaksandr Łukašenka played up a program to re-equip obsolete Belarusian warplanes for carrying what they called “special” ammunition.

Russia and Belarus are committed to their obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), Zakharova said, but added that Russia will transfer Iskander-M dual-warhead systems with conventional warheads and Su-25 aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons to Belarus.

However, it will not share technology for re-equipping the aircraft into nuclear weapons carriers, she stressed.

Russia does not plan to build storage facilities for nuclear warheads in Belarus, she added.

In addition, she said that Belarusian soldiers training in Russia are not taught to handle nuclear warheads.

Further steps by Moscow and Minsk will depend on NATO’s actions, she said, noting that the Russian president alone could authorize the use of nuclear ammunition with Belarus-based systems.

A few months ago, during his visit to a mechanical plant in Minsk on August 26, Łukašenka said in an apparent reference to NATO that “no helicopters or planes will save them if they escalate.”

He claimed that Russia had re-equipped Belarus’ Sukhoi aircraft for delivering nuclear munitions. The military command of Belarus identified “decision-making centers” that “will be hit in the event of provocation,” he added.

Observers noted, however, that the Kremlin does not trust Łukašenka as much as to send nuclear ammunition to Belarus for storage.