Belarus claims to have received tactical nuclear weapons from ally Russia
![Belarus claims to have received tactical nuclear weapons from ally Russia Belarus claims to have received tactical nuclear weapons from ally Russia](https://firearm-discounts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1703696023_Alexander-Lukashenko-780x470.png)
The president of Belarus announced this week that the country has received tactical nuclear weapons transported from Russia.
President Alexander Lukashenko said Monday that the intensely-regulated weapons were brought to Belarus in October.
No further information was offered on the nature of the nuclear weapons or their intended use.
Tactical nuclear weapons are smaller, short-range missiles intended for use on a battlefield.
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Lukashenko has previously suggested that nuclear weapons brought to Belarus are intended to serve as a deterrent to NATO allies.
Russia has stated that it remains in control of the nuclear weapons it provides to Belarus — its closest international ally.
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![Lukashenko](https://firearm-discounts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Alexander-Lukashenko.png)
Lukashenko’s claim has raised alarms in neighboring countries as Belarus’ closeness with Russia has shifted the region’s center of gravity toward Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed legislation in November de-ratifying a key international nuclear weapons treaty.
The law withdraws Russia from the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, originally signed in 1996 and ratified in 2000.
![Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko](https://firearm-discounts.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/vladimir-putin-alexander-lukashenko-russia-belarus.jpg)
Russian officials have characterized the country’s withdrawal from the treaty as a move toward equality with Western powers.
Just days later, the Russian military reported that it successfully test launched an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to carry nuclear warheads from a new nuclear submarine.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the Imperator Alexander III strategic missile cruiser fired the Bulava missile from an underwater position in Russia’s northern White Sea and hit a target in the far-eastern region of Kamchatka. It was not immediately clear from the statement when the test launch occurred.
Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
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