The President of Belarus, Alexandr Lukashenko, has announced the start of the transfer of Russian tactical nuclear weapons to the territory of the former republic Soviet Union, which shares a border with Ukraine. “We had to prepare the place for its storage and so on. We did it. That’s why the transfer of the nuclear charges has already started,” Lukashenko told Russian television.

Lukashenko assured that Russian President Vladimir Putin informed him during the events of the Eurasian Economic Union in the Kremlin that he had already informed the decree on the placement of nuclear weapons in Belarus. “We are talking about a specific document. The decision was made to develop what was said verbally.”he claimed.

He refused to specify the number of nuclear warheads that his country will host, although he assured that he had agreed with Putin all the details. “I am not going to reveal the number and its location. We have agreed on the deployment of nuclear weapons: where, when, the warheads. A decision had to be made and this corresponds to the Russian president. With Russia, any issue that we present today is decided in matter of a few days,” he explained.

He also guaranteed the security of said weapons, stressing that the Belarusians they are “careful people”. “That’s why, don’t worry about nuclear weapons. We are responsible for it. It’s a serious thing. Everything will be fine,” he said. When the reporter asked him if said weapons had already reached Belarusian territory, the president replied: “It is possible. I will arrive and check it out.”

The Defense Ministers of Russia, Sergei Shoigu, and of Belarus, Viktor Khrenin, signed today in Minsk the documents that regulate the storage of these Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarusian territory. “In accordance with the decision of our Supreme Commanders, work has been organized to deploy Russia’s non-strategic nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus,” he stressed.

He recalled that the Iskander-M tactical-operational missile system, capable of using missiles not only in conventional weapons, but also nuclear, has already been delivered to Belarus. “Some of the Belarusian aircraft have been converted for the possible use of nuclear weapons. The military has received proper training,” he added.

In turn, Khrenin said that the deployment of non-strategic nuclear weapons in Belarus, the accumulation of the potential of the grouping of troops of both countries is a response to the aggressive actions of the West.

“The deployment of non-strategic nuclear weapons it is an effective response to the aggressive policy of countries hostile to us“, the minister maintained. Shoigu stressed that, while Russia deploys non-strategic nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus, Moscow will retain control over them and over the decision on their eventual use.

“Russia does not transfer nuclear weapons to the Republic of Belarus: control over them and the decision to use them remains with the Russian side,” he stressed. Last March, the head of the Kremlin announced an agreement with his Belarusian counterpart for the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in the neighboring country. Already in April, the Belarusian Army received training in Russia on the use of special ammunition tactics for the Iskander-M missiles.

In the middle of the same month, Russia further announced that the training of the Belarusian forces had been completed to operate Su-25 attack aircraft, which were equipped to carry tactical nuclear weapons.