Russia and Belarus have begun the second phase of their tactical nuclear weapons exercises. The training in Russia is aimed at ensuring that armed forces and equipment are ready to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both countries, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
“During the exercises, units of the Russian and Belarusian armed forces will jointly train for the combat use of tactical nuclear weapons,” the report said. Belarus’ participation in the joint nuclear exercise with Russia is routine and not aimed at creating tensions in the region, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin added in Minsk.
Putin responds to ‘threats’
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the nuclear weapons exercise last month, saying he was responding to threats from France, Britain and the US over the war in Ukraine. Western allies recently allowed Ukraine to use weapons they supplied against military targets in Russia.
Largest nuclear arsenal in the world
According to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), Russia has the largest nuclear arsenal in the world with 5,580 nuclear warheads. The anti-nuclear weapons campaign ICAN even assumes 6,255 nuclear warheads. With this, Russia could destroy the entire world several times over. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia agreed with other successor states to take over only the Soviet Union’s nuclear arsenal. Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan surrendered weapons stationed in their countries in 1996.
Source: Krone
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