Russian nuclear weapons 'in hands of Belarus dictator', warns opposition leader

Exiled Belarusian absorption person Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has warned of the information of transferring atomic weapons from Russia into "the hands of a brainsick dictator" successful Belarus, aft Alexander Lukashenko confirmed that the archetypal "missiles and bombs" had arrived successful the country.

Ms Tikhanovskaya, who was speaking to the BBC successful Warsaw, accused Western politicians of "staying silent" astir the archetypal deployment of tactical atomic weapons extracurricular of Russia since the illness of the USSR successful 1991.

Mr Lukashenko, the authoritarian person of Belarus, made his announcement successful a staged treatment with a Russian authorities TV presenter, conducted determination successful the Belarusian countryside with subject trucks and hardware placed cautiously successful the background.

When the presenter asked him to clarify his connection - that Belarus has already received the weapons, sooner than expected - Mr Lukashenko chuckled, similar the 2 were sharing a joke. "Not each of them. Gradually," helium said.

Mr Lukashenko is seen arsenic Russia's cardinal ally, with Belarus serving arsenic a launchpad for President Vladimir Putin's full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful February 2022.

In comments intelligibly intended to rattle Ukraine's allies successful the West, Mr Lukashenko stressed that the Russian bombs were "three times much powerful" than those dropped by the US connected Nagasaki and Hiroshima successful World War Two.

He added that helium had not simply asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for the atomic weapons.

"I demanded them back," helium said, claiming that helium needed them for extortion from outer aggression - a mendacious menace helium besides uses to warrant his repression of each governmental opposition.

Mr Lukashenko - who has been successful powerfulness since 1994 - claimed triumph successful disputed elections successful 2020, triggering wide protests and a brutal crackdown by the Belarusian KGB information work and riot police.

Belarus, similar Ukraine and Kazakhstan, gave up its atomic arsenal successful the 1990s successful instrumentality for information guarantees from post-Soviet Russia and the West. That makes this a important reversal, though determination is arsenic yet nary impervious that the Russian weapons person been delivered.

Mr Putin archetypal announced the transportation successful March, pointing retired that the US has deployed akin weapons successful Europe. He aboriginal said the determination would lone instrumentality spot erstwhile retention sites had been prepared, but Alexander Lukashenko present says Belarus has "more retention sites than colony dogs" and respective person already been renovated.

Moscow says it volition clasp power of the missiles, which are tactical - not longer-range strategical weapons.

"I americium not readying to combat the US… tactical weapons are fine," Mr Lukashenko said. "And the Iskander [rocket] travels 500 kilometres (310 miles) oregon more."

"This deployment creates nary caller menace to Nato countries, truthful they don't instrumentality it seriously,"Ms Tikhanovskaya argued, believing that Western countries spot nary quality betwixt a rocket fired from Russia oregon from Belarus.

Russia already has atomic weapons successful its western-most Kaliningrad region, putting Poland and the Baltic states good wrong range.

"But Belarus is our state and we don't privation atomic weapons," Ms Tikhanovskaya said. "This is similar the past measurement to keeping our independence. And they [in the West] are staying soundless astir that."