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Russia already has nuclear warheads on its own soil that are close to Ukraine and NATO countries, but by basing some in Belarus, the Kremlin appears to be trying to accentuate its nuclear threat and bolster its nuclear deterrent.
Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, made reference to such a site early last year, saying Russia would soon be completing the construction of “special storage for tactical nuclear weapons” in Belarus.
The New York Times analyzed satellite imagery and photos, and spoke with nuclear weapons and arms control experts, to track the new construction, which started in March 2023.
The site is 120 miles north of the Ukrainian border at a military depot next to the town of Asipovichy. Some of the recently built structures there have features that are unique to nuclear storage facilities at bases inside Russia. For example, a new, highly secure area is surrounded by three layers of fencing, in addition to the existing security perimeter of the entire base. Another telltale sign is a covered loading area connected to what appears to be a concealed Soviet-era underground bunker.
Would be very interesting if they manage to defenestrate Lukashenko and come up with an actual democracy…Vlad waking up to a neighbor with his nukes might give them pause
If Lukashenko were to be assassinated, Russia would likely just formally annex the territory. Lukashenko already lost an election to the opposition, and Putin just kept him there anyways. No chance the opposition could take over without first defeating the Russian military.
Wouldn’t matter a nuke is nothing without precision control.