Belarus Issues Nuclear Threat Amid Rising Tensions at Ukraine Border

Belarus on Sunday issued a nuclear threat amid rising tensions at its border with Ukraine.

The country will be prepared to use nonstrategic nuclear weapons if its sovereignty and independence are threatened, said Pavel Muraveiko. He was appointed chief of the general staff of country's armed forces and first deputy minister in May.

"We've learned how to handle these weapons. We know how to apply them confidently. We are able to do it. And you can be sure: we will do it if the sovereignty and independence of our country is threatened," Muraveiko said in an interview with the local TV, state-owned Belarusian news agency BelTA reported.

The day before, Colonel Vadim Lukashevich, a Belarusian military official, said that neighboring Ukraine had deployed its forces to their border in an attempt to "drag our country into the war."

Lukashevich was referring to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which was launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022.

"The situation on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border is characterized by escalating tensions," Lukashevich said, adding that Ukrainian forces were planning potential sabotage and terrorist acts on Belarusian soil.

Newsweek couldn't independently verify Lukashevich's claim and has contacted Ukraine's Foreign Ministry for comment by email.

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko is a close ally of Putin. His country, a former Soviet Union republic, has maintained strong relations with Russia since Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

While Lukashenko's troops haven't directly joined the Ukrainian conflict, Russian troops have been allowed to do exercises on Belarusian territory since before the beginning of the war. The country was used by Russia to launch its invasion of Ukraine two years ago.

In January, the Belarusian president said that Russian nuclear weapons, controlled by Moscow, had arrived in Belarus. Lukashenko added in April that several dozen tactical nuclear weapons from Russia had been deployed in his country.

Russia and Belarus on May 21 kick-started nuclear weapon drills practicing the joint combat use of nonstrategic nuclear weapons, with the Russian Defense Ministry saying that they were aimed at preparing troops and equipment "to unconditionally ensure the sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the two countries known as the "Union State."

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said at the time that the nuclear weapon drills were in response to "hostile decisions and actions" by Ukraine's Western allies and their "daily provocations."

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