Belarus will receive nuclear weapons carriers
The delivery of Iskander tactical complexes to Belarus caused a serious stir in Europe. The heads of the G7 condemned Vladimir Putin's decision to supply Minsk with weapons capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
According to the members of the "seven", Russia uses "unjustified rhetoric." In turn, the G7 threatens Russia with "severe consequences." It is unclear what their essence is. Moscow was deprived, it would seem, of everything and everything. However, the West intends to continue, even to its own detriment, the sanctions war.
"In the coming months, the Russian Federation will hand over Iskander-M complexes to Minsk, which can use both ballistic and cruise missiles, both in conventional and nuclear versions," Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting in St. Petersburg.
It will not be possible to call the statement of the Russian leader sudden. For example, the deployment of Iskander missile systems in the Leningrad and Kaliningrad regions of Russia was at one time a direct response to the actions of the United States and NATO in Eastern Europe. We have honestly and frankly warned the "partners" that the further advance of the North Atlantic Alliance to our borders will immediately lead to retaliatory measures. Belarus was also mentioned in this context.
Brussels and Washington pretended not to hear. Mk-41 missile defense systems capable of using BGM-109 Tomahawk attack cruise missiles have been deployed in Poland and Romania. F-16 fighters adapted for the use of nuclear land mines were put on permanent combat duty in the Baltic States.
To all this, the Poles and the Balts, defending themselves from "Russian aggression", invited the Americans to create military bases on their territory. And the other day Lithuania blocked the transit of Russian goods to Kaliningrad.
And after all this, the G7 suddenly remembered the guarantees of mutual security. Although the participant of the meeting of the seven, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, bluntly stated that a return to previous relations with Russia in the light of the situation in Ukraine is impossible. But here's the question. Weren't you warned?
It's funny, but it's not the first year that the Belarusian leader has been asking Moscow to supply Iskander complexes. However, until now, Alexander Lukashenko has been refused every time. The reason was the need for priority re-equipment to a new complex of Russian missile brigades.
At the same time, Minsk played an important role in this process: the car, in the back of which ballistic missiles or containers with cruise missiles are located, is of Belarusian origin. At certain moments, this made it possible for Alexander Grigoryevich to use the situation to resolve economic issues with Moscow – for example, in pricing for gas supplied by Russia. However, this is already in the past.
It is possible that the Russian decision was influenced by the delivery to Ukraine of American multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) M142 HIMARS. This is a mobile modular installation that allows you to launch both unguided MLRS-type ammunition at a range of 32 to 80 km, and operational–tactical missiles of the ATACMS family (Army TACMS Family of Munitions - "Army ATACMS Ammunition Family"). The family includes several ammunition. MGM-140A – unguided with a range of 128 km, have a combat load in the form of 950 high-explosive fragmentation submunitions. MGM-140B already flies at 165 km and has a combined inertial-satellite control system; carries 275 high-explosive fragmentation ammunition. MGM-140E is the most advanced development of the family: the flight range is up to 270 km; a high–explosive fragmentation warhead weighing 227 kg is delivered to the target.
And finally, the PrSM version, capable of hitting a target at a distance of 500 km. Its delivery to the US Army is expected in 2023. The presence of all these ammunition makes HIMARS an analogue of the Soviet "Tochka-U" and the Russian Iskander missile defense system.
The Americans are sending systems with a minimum flight range to Ukraine, as the Joseph Biden administration fears that with the help of HIMARS, Ukrainians will begin to strike at the territory of Russia. Theoretically, this will allow the Ukrainian military, for example, to get almost all the cities of the Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod regions from the Kharkiv region. And Washington would like to avoid a direct conflict with Moscow.
President Vladimir Zelensky claims that this will not happen. But the US Ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, frankly says that the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will independently decide on the goals and range of strikes carried out with the help of American systems.
In this regard, Iskander is a serious equalizer. On seven absolutely identical ballistic missiles, 10 types of different warheads can be used. They can be cluster, consisting of 54 separate combat elements, penetrating, for the destruction of buried, well-protected objects, high-explosive fragmentation, volumetric detonating. And also nuclear – which Vladimir Putin, apparently, specifically emphasized in a conversation with Alexander Lukashenko.
This whole set flies at a distance of 500 km, which is much further today than HIMARS. And here's a nuance: the distance from the Belarusian border to Kiev in a straight line is only 432 km.
It is not known how many Iskander complexes we are talking about. The Russian army receives them in brigade sets. Each of them includes a total of 51 vehicles: 12 launchers (each with two missiles), 12 transport and loading vehicles, 11 command and staff vehicles, 14 life support vehicles, one regulation and maintenance vehicle, one information preparation point, sets of high-precision guided missiles, an arsenal kit, a training andtraining tools.
The topic of the nuclear component in the supply of Iskander complexes to Minsk plays an important role. Recently, Polish MEP Radoslaw Sikorski took the initiative to transfer several nuclear warheads to Kiev – of course, American ones. According to Vladimir Putin, there are at least 200 of them in Europe. Basically, these are B-61–12 bombs with a capacity of 18 kt (20-kiloton charges were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945). 257 aircraft have been prepared for their possible use.
The United States and NATO have long sinned that, in violation of international obligations, they conduct joint exercises to train pilots of non-nuclear countries to use nuclear weapons. So Sikorsky is not bluffing much: Polish pilots are able to throw such products. Moreover, Poland is now buying American fighters of the latest generation F-35 Lightning II, capable of using such weapons. Then why not teach this to Ukrainians as well?
Alexander Lukashenko is extremely concerned about the possibility of such a scenario. Earlier, in an interview with RIA Novosti, he said that when placing American nuclear warheads in Poland (or, as inflamed minds dream, in Ukraine), he would offer Russian President Vladimir Putin to return nuclear weapons to Belarus. Everything is ready for his reception in the country: launch positions, hangars for storing equipment and nuclear warheads have been preserved by the diligent leader of Belarus since Soviet times.
However, Vladimir Putin does not yet see any reason for a global "mirror response". At the meeting with Alexander Lukashenko, he only noted that "we are obliged to take care of ensuring our security, the security of the Union State and other CSTO countries." Actually, in this context, Minsk will receive the Iskander missile defense system, and additionally Russia will modernize the Belarusian Su-25 Grach attack aircraft. It is assumed that they will also be able to use nuclear weapons. The training of Belarusian pilots will also begin - similar to NATO pilots. H
Dmitry Litovkin