The arsenal placed in the republic should become a guarantee against external aggression, experts believeThe transfer of Russian non-strategic nuclear weapons to the territory of Belarus has already begun, President Alexander Lukashenko said on May 25.
Earlier, the defense ministers of the two states signed the relevant documents. Sergei Shoigu said that an undeclared war is actually being waged against Moscow and Minsk, and the West is doing everything to delay and escalate the conflict in Ukraine. Experts note that now Russia will consider an attack on Belarus as an encroachment on its nuclear arsenal with all the ensuing consequences. Meanwhile, in the Belgorod region, which survived the attack of saboteurs, the situation remains tense.
Covered with an "umbrella"
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said on May 25 that the transfer of non-strategic nuclear weapons from Russia to the country has already begun.
"We have agreed on the deployment of nuclear weapons — where, how much ammunition," he said.
At the same time, the Belarusian president did not name the number and location of warheads. Earlier, on May 25, the heads of the military departments of the two states signed in Minsk the documents necessary to start moving nuclear weapons. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that, in fact, an undeclared war has been unleashed against Moscow and Minsk.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin (left to right) during a meeting after a meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the CSTO countries in Minsk, May 25, 2023
Image source: Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
— NATO's military activity has acquired the most aggressive orientation, — he said at a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Viktor Khrenin.
According to him, Western states are doing everything possible to delay and escalate the armed conflict in Ukraine.
Russia and Belarus are engaged in strengthening the common defense space in the new military-political realities, Sergei Shoigu stated. The military of the two countries are conducting combat coordination of units and formations from the regional grouping of troops. As part of the Unified Regional Air Defense System in Belarus, Russian aviation and air defense systems are on combat duty.
— In the context of an extremely sharp escalation of threats and the activity of NATO's joint nuclear missions, [we] are forced to take retaliatory measures in the military-nuclear sphere. In accordance with the decision of our supreme commanders—in-chief, work has been organized to deploy non-strategic nuclear weapons of the Russian Federation on the territory of the Republic of Belarus," the Russian minister said.
He recalled that the operational-tactical missile system Iskander-M, capable of using missiles not only in conventional, but also nuclear equipment, was handed over to the Belarusian side. And some of the Belarusian aircraft have been re-equipped for the possible use of nuclear weapons. The servicemen have received appropriate training.
The heads of the military departments of Russia and Belarus signed documents defining the procedure for the maintenance of Russian non-strategic nuclear weapons in a special storage facility on the territory of the Republic of Belarus.
Iskander-M tactical missile System
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Timkiv
Sergei Shoigu noted that Russia, by placing non-strategic nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus, does not transfer them. Control over it and the decision on its use remains with Moscow.
"In the future, additional measures may be taken to ensure the security of the Union State and respond to the military—political situation," the Russian minister noted.
It will not be Belarus that will dispose of nuclear weapons, and it will not belong to it, that is, all responsibility for the nuclear safety of this state falls entirely on Russia and the Ministry of Defense of our country, military expert Alexey Leonkov explained to Izvestia.
— In this way we are opaquely hinting that Belarus has a "nuclear umbrella", — he noted. — Because the threat to our nuclear arsenals falls under the framework of state policy in the field of the use of nuclear weapons with all the ensuing consequences. Thus, we are giving a clear signal to Belarus' western neighbor, Poland, which has recently been rattling weapons very loudly on the borders with our Union State and the Kaliningrad Region: any aggression against Belarus is perceived by us as a threat to our nuclear arsenal.
The expert noted that Poland has recently become more active in the military sphere — increasing the number of armed forces, building new bases, warehouses, expressing readiness to host American tactical nuclear weapons.
Photo: Global Look Press/ZUMAPRESS.com/Krystian Dobuszynski
Image source: iz.ru
— The troops who participated in the exercises on the territory of Poland leave military equipment and part of the military personnel, and Poland favors this. They believe that if they have a lot of weapons and military personnel, including from other countries, then they, provoking an adventure and setting up their Western partners, will involve them in a military conflict with Russia. And they think that with a victorious result for themselves, that we will not dare to do what we periodically warn about. But they are wrong, — Alexey Leonkov emphasized.
After the terrorists
The situation in the Belgorod region remains tense on May 25. An air defense system worked over the Belgorod region, a UAV was shot down on approach to the capital of the region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
He also summed up the results of the shelling to which the militants subjected the territory of the region the day before. Grayvoronsky city district was shelled 87 times. An 85—year-old grandmother was injured - she received a slight concussion.
Most of the shells, 84, were fired at the border crossing in the village of Kozinka, resulting in a fire on the territory. At that time there were correspondents of "Izvestia". Three mortar shells were fired at the village of Dronovka, there were no casualties.
A residential building destroyed as a result of an attack by the Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group (DRG) in the Belgorod region
Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA/Eduard Kornienko
The operation continues
On May 25, at least 660 people and 25 pieces of military equipment, including tanks, howitzers, self-propelled guns and armored vehicles, were lost in the special operation zone in all strategic directions of the VFU, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported.
In the Kharkiv region, the DPR and the LPR, the actions of five Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups were suppressed. In addition, two ammunition depots of the 80th airborne assault and 110th mechanized brigades of the VFU were destroyed in the areas of the settlements of Stupochka and Avdiivka in the DPR.
The Russian Defense Ministry told about the servicemen who showed courage and dedication in battle.
The crew of the Guard of Junior Sergeant Vyacheslav Okaemov held the dominant height in the tank-dangerous direction when the enemy stormed our positions using heavy armored vehicles.
Vyacheslav promptly discovered the advance of the enemy in the direction of the defensive lines. While under fire, he corrected the fire of the Russian artillery, transmitted to the command post information about the movement of armored vehicles and motorized infantry of the militants.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Press Service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Image source: iz.ru
During the battle, driving the crew, Vyacheslav hit a tank and a group of infantry fighters attacking from the flank.
The unit of Private Alexei Revin defended the liberated settlement. The militants wanted to regain their lost positions and tried to break through the defenses of our troops. Reflecting the offensive, Alexey was cut off from the main forces, but was able to gain a foothold on the dominant height. From there, the soldier continued to hold the defense, restraining the enemy's actions for several hours.
Alexey's position was repeatedly attacked by drones and mortars, he was wounded, but held the defensive line until reinforcements arrived. The units that arrived pushed the enemy back to their original positions.
Roman Kretsul
Andrey Fedorov
