Information about deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus caused a stormy reaction from the media and the public. Alexander Ketner, a military analyst at the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research, is sure that it is necessary to clarify the situation here to prevent the substitution of concepts. He emphasizes:
- Our country presumes only storage, not of nuclear weapons, but ammunition for it.
It should be said that the countries that own nuclear weapons have a very tight monopoly on their possession. There are only nine of them in the world. Deployment of nuclear weapons on the territory of other countries or ammunition for them does not make them nuclear powers. For example, the United States had deployed nuclear weapons in five European states: Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece and Turkey, but these countries are not nuclear.
Commenting on the statement of the President of Russia, we can only talk about the intention to deploy nuclear weapons on the territory of our country. What goal does Russia pursue? First of all, political. It is necessary to show the unity of goals, the unity of the Union State, especially amid the events being the case now in the CSTO. The second goal is purely military. It is necessary to reduce the time of ammunition delivery and distribute them according to the principle of "not keeping all eggs in one basket". In this sense, Belarus compares favorably with the Kaliningrad Region: the presence of a land border with Russia allows to deliver ammunition by rail and road, which is much cheaper, faster and safer than by sea or by air.
What does the deployment of nuclear weapons give the Republic of Belarus? First of all, it is a safeguard of security and a higher level of trust and support from the Russian Federation. In addition, it should be understood that nuclear weapons are not weapons of attack or defense. These are weapons of deterrence. I hope that the presence of tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of our country will call some hotheads to dialogue and resolve political issues at the negotiating table.