Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced an agreement with Belarus to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in the country. “There is nothing extraordinary here. First of all, the US has been doing it for decades. It placed its tactical nuclear weapons long ago on the territory of its allied countries, the NATO countries, in Europe. If memory serves, in six countries: Germany, Turkey, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Greece”, he stated in statements to public television.

Putin has stressed that this agreement does not violate Russia’s obligations on nuclear non-proliferation and has advanced that on April 3 the training of the Belarusian military will begin and on July 1, the construction of a silo will be completed to place said weapons in the neighboring country. However, the Tass agency has stressed that Russia already has ten planes in the country prepared to launch nuclear weapons.

“we do not give them up. The United States does not cede them to its allies either,” he added, specifying that Moscow has already modernized the Belarusian Air Force planes to carry these weapons.

The Russian president has acknowledged that the trigger for the announcement was the UK’s decision to supply the Ukrainian army with uranium ammunition impoverished, although London assures that it is not about nuclear weapons. “In any case, that is related to nuclear technology. It is obvious,” Putin replied. Although, straight away, he recalled that the Belarusian president, Alexandr Lukashenko, had long ago requested the deployment of this type of weapon on the soil of the former Soviet republic.

The announcement comes just as Ukraine says it is beginning to take control of Bakhmut. In this regard, British intelligence qualifies that Russian troops try to move the front to neighboring cities, such as Kreminna, where shelling is constant. “We fire 50, 60 and sometimes up to 100 rockets a day,” explained Artyom, a Ukrainian soldier.

Just when the leader of the Wagner mercenaries has pardoned up to 5,000 ex-prisoners recruited six months ago, other Russian soldiers denounce that they are taken to certain death. “Many comrades injured during the combat have been taken from the hospital, without any type of medical assistance, and sent back to the front line,” said a mercenary. 161 Russian soldiers participated in the assault on Vodyane, but now only one group remains alive.

For his part, Zelenski denounces the lack of planes, tanks and rocket launchers to advance to the east, although points out that Ukraine will never give up: “Ukraine will not forgive such abuse of our people, we will not forgive these deaths and injuries.”

In addition, the Ukrainian president assures that, with this situation, “the conditions do not exist at all” for resume hypothetical peace talks with Russia.