Russia trains Belarusian pilots in nuclear weapons use

A Belarusian Air Force pilot speaks at an unidentified location in a video detailed Belarusian air crews completing a training course in Russia on using nuclear weapons. (Russian Defence Ministry Press Service via AP)

MOSCOW — Belarusian Air Force crews have completed their training for using tactical nuclear weapons as part of Russia’s plan to deploy the weapons to its ally amid fighting in neighboring Ukraine , the Russian Defence Ministry said Friday.

The ministry released a video in which a Belarusian pilot said that the training course in Russia had given the crews of the Belarusian Air Force’s Su-25 ground attack jets the necessary skills for using the weapons.

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared last month that Moscow planned to put some of its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. It was another attempt by the Kremlin leader to dangle the nuclear threat to discourage the West from supporting Ukraine.

Russia has a union agreement with Belarus that envisions close political, economic and military ties. Russian troops used Belarusian territory to roll into Ukraine from the north in February 2022 and have maintained a presence in Belarus.

The deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus would put them closer to potential targets in Ukraine and NATO members in Eastern and Central Europe. Belarus shares a 1,250-kilometer (777-mile) border with NATO members Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

Such weapons are intended to destroy enemy troops on the battlefield. They have a relatively short range and much less power compared with nuclear warheads fitted to long-range strategic missiles, which are capable of obliterating whole cities.

Putin said that construction of storage facilities for tactical nuclear weapons would be completed in Belarus by July 1. Russia also has helped modernize Belarusian combat aircraft to adapt them for carrying nuclear weapons. Russia also provided Belarus with Iskander short-range missiles that could be fitted with a nuclear warhead.

A Russian Iskander-K missile launches during a military exercise at a training ground in Russia. (Russian Defence Ministry Press Service via AP)

Putin has emphasized that Russia would retain control over any nuclear weapons deployed to Belarus, just as the U.S. controls its tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of its NATO allies.

The authoritarian president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has suggested that some of Russia’s strategic nuclear weapons might also be deployed to Belarus along with part of Moscow’s tactical nuclear arsenal.

Belarusian Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin again mentioned the possibility Friday, saying “it could be the next step” if the West continued what he described as its hostile course.

“We will respond to force only with force. Otherwise, they don’t get it in the West,” Khrenin said. “We are already preparing the sites that we have.”

Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine had Soviet nuclear weapons stationed in their territory but handed them over to Russia after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

一段视频详细记录了白俄罗斯空军机组人员在俄罗斯完成核武器使用训练课程的情况，视频中一名白俄罗斯空军飞行员在不明地点发表讲话。（俄罗斯国防部新闻处供图，美联社发布）

莫斯科——俄罗斯国防部周五表示，白俄罗斯空军人员已完成使用战术核武器的训练，这是俄罗斯在邻国乌克兰发生冲突之际向其盟友部署核武器计划的一部分。

该部发布了一段视频，视频中一名白俄罗斯飞行员表示，在俄罗斯的训练课程使白俄罗斯空军苏-25对地攻击机的机组人员掌握了使用该武器的必要技能。

俄罗斯总统普京上个月宣布，莫斯科计划在白俄罗斯部署部分战术核武器。这是克里姆林宫领导人再次试图以核威胁来阻止西方支持乌克兰。

俄罗斯与白俄罗斯签署了联盟协议，旨在建立紧密的政治、经济和军事联系。2022年2月，俄罗斯军队利用白俄罗斯领土从北部入侵乌克兰，并一直保持着在白俄罗斯的军事存在。

俄罗斯在白俄罗斯部署战术核武器将使其更接近乌克兰以及东欧和中欧的北约成员国的潜在目标。白俄罗斯与北约成员国拉脱维亚、立陶宛和波兰接壤，边界线长达1250公里（777英里）。

这类武器旨在摧毁战场上的敌军。与远程战略导弹上搭载的核弹头相比，它们的射程相对较短，威力也小得多，后者能够摧毁整座城市。

普京表示，白俄罗斯的战术核武器储存设施将于7月1日前完工。俄罗斯还帮助白俄罗斯对其作战飞机进行现代化改造，使其具备携带核武器的能力。此外，俄罗斯还向白俄罗斯提供了可搭载核弹头的“伊斯坎德尔”短程导弹。

一枚俄罗斯“伊斯坎德尔-K”导弹在俄罗斯某训练场的军事演习中发射。（俄罗斯国防部新闻处供图，美联社发布）

普京强调，俄罗斯将对部署在白俄罗斯的任何核武器保持控制，就像美国控制其部署在北约盟国领土上的战术核武器一样。

白俄罗斯独裁总统亚历山大·卢卡申科暗示，俄罗斯的一些战略核武器以及莫斯科的部分战术核武库也可能部署到白俄罗斯。

白俄罗斯国防部长维克托·赫列宁周五再次提及这种可能性，称如果西方继续他所描述的敌对路线，“这可能是下一步”。

“我们只会以武力回应武力。否则，西方不会尝到苦头，”赫列宁说。“我们已经在准备我们现有的场地了。”

白俄罗斯、哈萨克斯坦和乌克兰境内都曾部署过苏联核武器，但在 1991 年苏联解体后，三国将这些核武器移交给了俄罗斯。