According to Vladimir Putin, Russia has already stationed a first group of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
The president of Russia stated at a symposium that they would only be deployed if the state or territory of Russia was in danger.
According to the US government, there is no indication that the Kremlin will attack Ukraine with nuclear weapons.
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, responded to Mr. Putin’s remarks by saying, “We don’t see any indications that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon.”
Belarus, a crucial ally of Russia, served as the starting point for Vladimir Putin’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February of last year.
By the end of the summer, according to Mr. Putin, the tactical nuclear warheads will have been transferred.
The decision was made for “containment,” the Russian president said in response to questions following a speech at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, and to warn anyone “considering inflicting a strategic defeat on us.”
When the forum moderator inquired as to whether or not those weapons might be used, he responded, “Why should we threaten the entire world? I’ve already stated that using drastic measures is a possibility if the Russian state is in danger.
Small nuclear warheads and delivery systems known as tactical nuclear weapons are designed for limited strikes or employment on the battlefield. They are made to eliminate enemy targets in a particular location without generating significant radioactive fallout.
The smallest tactical nuclear weapons can have a yield of no more than one kiloton, which is equal to 1,000 tonnes of the explosive TNT. The biggest ones have a maximum mass of 100 kilotons. In contrast, the US dropped a 15 kiloton atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945.