Russia says won’t disclose number of nukes in Belarus

June 23, BPN. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said Russia is not planning to disclose the number of tactical nuclear warheads it is deploying to Belarus, noting that the United States does not reveal the exact number of its own nukes in Europe.

“I deeply doubt that this topic will be the subject of any public discussion or exposure on our part,” Ryabkov told reporters in Sochi, as quoted by Interfax.

“Why should we unilaterally make such a thing public?” he said.

Earlier this month, Vladimir Putin said the first warheads had already been delivered to the country.

But Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, said not a single warhead was in Belarus, with preparations for the deployment still ongoing.

Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja called on diplomats to discuss the issue at the UN General Assembly and Security Council.