When Belarus gave up nuclear weapons. Nuclear powers and atomic unmercenaries

Modern Belarus existed in the symbolic club of nuclear powers for almost five years: from the collapse Soviet Union in December 1991 until November 27, 1996, when the last echelon with missiles filled with nuclear charges left the territory of the republic

Since then, a number of politicians have repeatedly spoken about the supposedly wasted power, because the nuclear club is a convincing argument for countering the machinations of external potential enemies encroaching on the sovereignty of the state. Then suddenly Ambassador Alexander Surikov will speak out about the possible deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus “with a certain level of mutual trust and integration.” Then Alexander Lukashenko will call " a terrible mistake"withdrawal of nuclear weapons from Belarus, while accusing "our nationalists and Shushkevich" of wasting "the greatest asset and expensive commodity."

Occasionally some anonymous sources from the Belarusian and Russian military departments declare their readiness to return nuclear missiles to Sineokaya, provided that “the decision of the leadership is made.” It is noteworthy that allied military experts note: “Belarusians have the entire military infrastructure of the Warsaw Pact era in perfect condition, right down to launchers missiles with nuclear warheads that were taken to Russia after the collapse of the USSR."

As for the sites for launchers, their condition has already been analyzed by Naviny.by - in the publication “Are there no place for nuclear weapons in Belarus?” It is clear that it is, to put it mildly, unsafe to approach such objects—either still operating or mothballed—to put it mildly. However, some idea about current state, for example, bases capable of storing nuclear ammunition can also be obtained from open sources. It should be especially emphasized that in the hypothetical return of the “greatest asset” to Belarus, it is precisely such bases that are of paramount strategic importance. It all starts with them.

Our part of nuclear history

Information about total number nuclear charges in the USSR were never published in the open press. According to various estimates, in the Soviet Union there were from 20 to 45 thousand units. Some researchers indicate that as of 1989, there were about 1,180 strategic and tactical nuclear warheads on the territory of the BSSR. Bases for their storage began to be built in the early 1950s. And they built, it must be said, to last: they did not spare high-quality cement, the storage facilities were buried in the ground to depths of up to 10 meters.

Among the very first and largest military depots - nuclear bases designed for storage and preparation for use atomic bombs, a base was built at the airfield long-range aviation, located in Machulishchi, two dozen kilometers from Minsk. In military parlance, it was called military unit No. 75367 and had the code name “repair and technical base.”

Another strategic missile base (Strategic Missile Forces) was located near Gomel. Almost nothing is known about it, only the number - military unit 42654 - and the code name "Belar Arsenal".

The most famous object of this series was and remains the artillery arsenal, which began to be built in 1952 near the Kolosovo station in the Stolbtsy district of the Minsk region. Before the collapse of the USSR, the storage facility served military unit 25819, and it itself was called the “25th Arsenal of the Strategic Missile Forces.” Officially, the unit was disbanded and transferred to Russia in 1996. However, the unit was later reanimated, and is now listed in the Armed Forces of Belarus as the 25th arsenal of missile and artillery weapons. It was here that the dismantling of nuclear warheads took place in the 90s under the close supervision of NATO inspectors.

The "Kamysh" made noise and the commander disappeared

After the last nuclear warhead was removed from the arsenal to Russia, confusion and vacillation began in the unit. It was easy to get to the once secret facility, bypassing the checkpoint, simply by stepping over a fallen fence. It’s worth noting that the arsenal was essentially three objects: on one territory in the forest there was a military camp and the actual administrative part of the unit with technical structures. An ammunition storage base called "Kamysh" was located a few kilometers from the headquarters - also in the forest. In 1996, there was practically no security there anymore.

Pillars with shields with the inscription “No entry. We shoot without warning” were torn down. The checkpoint premises were plundered, and the remains of the alarm system were lying on the ground. The only thing that remained untouched was the area itself, where warehouses with conventional ammunition were located underground. True, there were no people who wanted to get there. The seven-kilometer perimeter area was fenced with two rows of barbed wire, which was under high voltage. Next to the locked gate stood a five-meter metal tower with loopholes. The spectacle is terrible...

The command of the arsenal and the officers who remained in the ranks and were of no use to anyone were more concerned with the problem of their own survival than with service. The local authorities threatened to cut off power and deprive the military of heat for failure to pay accumulated debts. The situation was terrible, and each of the servicemen was spinning as best they could.

The commander of the arsenal, a colonel, solved the problem of his own survival simply. One day he simply disappeared. As it turned out, he deserted, but not empty-handed. A suitcase with very expensive “trophies” disappeared along with him: the colonel stole 600 magnets with a high platinum content for a total of about 100 thousand dollars. During the dismantling of the missiles, the unit collected non-ferrous and precious metals.

25th Arsenal How and at what cost the 25th Arsenal was restored and, as they say, put into operation, we will not guess.

According to Naviny.by, about ten years ago this military facility was equipped with the latest comprehensive security system, which consists of several subsystems. The technical territory of the arsenal is a wire fence with a voltage between the lines of 3 thousand volts. Even if you cross this line, inside you can run into electroshock traps with a voltage of up to 6 thousand volts with three trigger levels: signal, warning and striking. A special video surveillance system also helps to protect the territory at any time of the day. Plus to everything - human factor in uniform and with a machine gun.

By all indications, the 25th Arsenal is capable of protecting and servicing not only weapons of the conventional, let’s say, explosive type. As the military says: “We carry out orders, not discuss them!”

They recently received another such order. After their commander-in-chief on February 13 approved the Agreement between Belarus and Russia on the joint protection of the external border of the Union State in the airspace and the creation of a Unified regional system air defense. What is not a reason to gossip about the once lost nuclear power and possible options finding it?

As a response to nuclear shield, which the United States is about to deploy over Eastern Europe, Russia may locate part of its nuclear facilities on the territory of Belarus. This statement was made today by the Ambassador Russian Federation in Belarus, Alexander Surikov, clarifying, however, that this depends “on the political integration of the two countries.” Previously, Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that he regrets the removal of nuclear facilities from the territory of the republic in the early 90s and that now he would act differently.

Russian Ambassador to Belarus Alexander Surikov did not rule out the deployment of new Russian military facilities in Belarus as a response to the deployment of the Eastern European missile defense system by the United States. Moreover, Surikov especially emphasized that he was talking “about objects related to nuclear weapons,” the Interfax agency reports.

The statement was made by Surikov today. “Everything depends on the level of our political integration,” the ambassador clarified, as well as “on the opinions of experts, diplomats and military personnel: necessary, possible, when, how.”

The words of the Russian ambassador have already caused a significant stir in the Belarusian media, and a number of politicians (albeit former ones) hastened to comment.

Thus, in an interview with the Belarusian resource “Charter’97”, the former Minister of Defense of the Republic Pavel Kozlovsky said that he personally does not understand “what Mr. Surikov is based on.”

"Relations between Russia and Belarus in lately are only getting worse. There is obvious disintegration underway. I think that Lukashenko, despite his previous regrets about the withdrawal nuclear missiles, is not interested in the deployment of Russian nuclear facilities,” Kozlovsky emphasized.

Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Andrei Sannikov commented on the diplomat’s words in even harsher intonations: “Ambassador Surikov apparently forgot that he is not somewhere in the Altai Territory, but in independent Belarus. Such statements, firstly, are not typical of diplomats, and secondly, they can be regarded as an encroachment on the sovereignty of the state.”

According to Sannikov, Russian ambassador It is unlikely that he could make such a statement without the sanction of the Russian leadership, which means that these statements must be taken very seriously, “to the point of revising the status of Russian military facilities on the territory of Belarus.” His country, according to the former deputy minister, “is trying to be drawn into the newly emerging confrontation and arms race.”

"Russia in once again confirms that it is for independent state a source of decreased security, both energy and military,” notes Sannikov, who in the early 90s participated in negotiations on the withdrawal of nuclear facilities from Belarus.

Let us recall that in 1990–1991, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan, on whose territory some of the USSR’s nuclear weapons were located, transferred them to the Russian Federation, and after signing the Lisbon Protocol in 1992, they were declared countries without nuclear weapons.

This protocol is an addition to the Soviet-American Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms.

Thus, Russia became the legal successor of the USSR, retained its status as a nuclear power, its place as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and assumed many common obligations with the union republics, including the payment of debts.

Later, Alexander Lukashenko expressed regret that all missiles were removed from the territory of Belarus. Last year, he even suggested the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons if there was an immediate threat to the Union State.

He also emphasized that his country at one time, without any preconditions, renounced the possession of nuclear weapons. However, if the question of giving up nuclear weapons “had been raised now,” he “wouldn’t have done that.”

However, he also noted that “now there is no need to place tactical nuclear weapons in the first strike zone” and “there are enough necessary weapons in the Russian Federation, which, if necessary, can be used in Belarus.”

All these words were spoken by Alexander Lukashenko in June 2006, that is, before relations between the union republics became noticeably more complicated due to the “oil and gas war.”

The list of nuclear powers in the world for 2019 includes ten main states. Information about which countries have nuclear potential and in what units it is expressed quantitatively is based on data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and Business Insider.

Nine countries that are officially owners of weapons of mass destruction form the so-called “Nuclear Club”.

No data available.
First test: no data available.
Last test: no data available.

Today it is officially known which countries have nuclear weapons. And Iran is not one of them. However, he did not curtail work on the nuclear program and there are persistent rumors that this country has its own nuclear weapons. The Iranian authorities say that they are quite capable of building it for themselves, but for ideological reasons they are limited only to the use of uranium for peaceful purposes.

For now, Iran's use of nuclear power is under the control of the IAEA as a result of a 2015 agreement, but the status quo may soon be subject to change - in October 2017, Donald Trump said that the current situation no longer corresponds to US interests. How much this announcement will change the current political climate remains to be seen.

Number of nuclear warheads: 10-60
First test: 2006
Last test: 2018

To the list of countries with nuclear weapons in 2019, to the greatest horror Western world, North Korea entered. Flirting with nuclear power in North Korea began in the middle of the last century, when Kim Il Sung, frightened by US plans to bomb Pyongyang, turned to the USSR and China for help. The development of nuclear weapons began in the 1970s, stopped as the political situation improved in the 90s, and naturally continued as it worsened. Already since 2004, nuclear tests have taken place in the “mighty, prosperous country.” Of course, as the Korean military assures, for purely harmless purposes - for the purpose of space exploration.

Adding to the tension is the fact that the exact number of nuclear warheads North Korea has is unknown. According to some data, their number does not exceed 20, according to others, it reaches 60 units.

Number of nuclear warheads: 80
First test: 1979
Last test: 1979

Israel has never said that it has nuclear weapons - but it has never claimed the opposite either. What adds piquancy to the situation is that Israel refused to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Along with this, the “promised land” vigilantly monitors the peaceful and not so peaceful nuclear power of its neighbors and, if necessary, does not hesitate to bomb the nuclear centers of other countries - as was the case with Iraq in 1981. According to rumors, Israel has every opportunity to create a nuclear bomb since 1979, when light flashes suspiciously similar to nuclear explosions were recorded in the South Atlantic. It is assumed that either Israel, or South Africa, or both of these states together are responsible for this test.

Number of nuclear warheads: 120-130
First test: 1974
Last test: 1998

Despite successfully detonating a nuclear charge back in 1974, India officially recognized itself as a nuclear power only at the end of the last century. True, having blown up three nuclear devices in May 1998, just two days after that, India announced its refusal to further tests.

Number of nuclear warheads: 130-140
First test: 1998
Last test: 1998

It is no wonder that India and Pakistan, having a common border and being in a state of permanent unfriendliness, strive to overtake and surpass their neighbor - including in the nuclear field. After the Indian bombing of 1974, it was only a matter of time before Islamabad developed its own. As the then Prime Minister of Pakistan said: “If India builds its own nuclear weapons, we will make ours, even if we have to eat grass.” And they did it, albeit twenty years late.

After India conducted tests in 1998, Pakistan promptly carried out its own, detonating several nuclear bombs at the Chagai test site.

Number of nuclear warheads: 215
First test: 1952
Last test: 1991

Great Britain is the only country in the nuclear five that has not conducted tests on its territory. The British preferred to carry out all nuclear explosions in Australia and Pacific Ocean, however, since 1991 it was decided to stop them. True, in 2015, David Cameron gave in to the fire, admitting that England was ready to drop a bomb or two if necessary. But he didn’t say who exactly.

Number of nuclear warheads: 270
First test: 1964
Last test: 1996

China is the only country that has committed not to launch (or threaten to launch) nuclear strikes on non-nuclear-weapon states. And at the beginning of 2011, China announced that it would maintain its weapons only at a minimum level. sufficient level. However, since then, China's defense industry has invented four types of new ballistic missiles that can carry nuclear warheads. So the question of the exact quantitative expression of this “minimum level” remains open.

Number of nuclear warheads: 300
First test: 1960
Last test: 1995

In total, France conducted more than two hundred nuclear weapons tests - from an explosion in the then French colony of Algeria to two atolls in French Polynesia.

Interestingly, France has consistently refused to take part in the peace initiatives of others nuclear countries. She did not join the moratorium on holding nuclear tests in the late 50s of the last century, did not sign the treaty banning military nuclear tests in the 60s, and joined the Non-Proliferation Treaty only in the early 90s.

Number of nuclear warheads: 6800
First test: 1945
Last test: 1992

The country that possesses it is also the first power to carry out a nuclear explosion, and the first and only one to date to use nuclear weapons in a combat situation. Since then, the United States has produced 66.5 thousand units atomic weapons more than 100 different modifications. The bulk of US nuclear weapons are ballistic missiles on submarines. Interestingly, the United States (like Russia) refused to participate in the negotiations on the complete renunciation of nuclear weapons that began in the spring of 2017.

US military doctrine states that America retains enough weapons to guarantee both its own security and the security of its allies. In addition, the United States promised not to strike non-nuclear states if they comply with the terms of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

1. Russia

Number of nuclear warheads: 7000
First test: 1949
Last test: 1990

Russia inherited some of its nuclear weapons after the collapse of the USSR - existing nuclear warheads were removed from the military bases of the former Soviet republics. According to the Russian military, they may decide to use nuclear weapons in response to similar actions. Or in the event of strikes with conventional weapons, as a result of which the very existence of Russia will be threatened.

Will there be a nuclear war between North Korea and the United States?

If at the end of the last century the main source of fears of a nuclear war was the strained relations between India and Pakistan, then the main horror story of this century is the nuclear confrontation between the DPRK and the United States. Threatening North Korea with nuclear strikes has been a good US tradition since 1953, but with the advent of the DPRK’s own atomic bombs, the situation reached a new level. new level. Relations between Pyongyang and Washington are tense to the limit. Will there be a nuclear war between North Korea and the United States? It is possible and will be if Trump decides that the North Koreans need to be stopped before they have time to create intercontinental missiles, which are guaranteed to reach the west coast of the world stronghold of democracy.

The United States has kept nuclear weapons near the borders of the DPRK since 1957. And a Korean diplomat says the entire continental US is now within reach of nuclear weapons North Korea.

What will happen to Russia if a war breaks out between North Korea and the United States? There is no military clause in the agreement signed between Russia and the DPRK. This means that when war begins, Russia can remain neutral - of course, strongly condemning the actions of the aggressor. In the worst case scenario for our country, Vladivostok could be covered with radioactive fallout from the destroyed DPRK facilities.

Almost every day the media reports about new nuclear weapons tests. Russia and the United States are testing their nuclear potential by launching from various launch vehicles.

Fortunately, the heat of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 is still a long way off, but troubling questions remain that we will try to answer.

Who has nuclear weapons today?

Today, members of the “nuclear club” are the USA, Russia, Great Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, and North Korea. Israel probably also has atomic weapons, but the country neither confirms nor denies this fact.

The American B-52 will be able to deliver up to 31.5 tons of nuclear bombs and missiles to almost anywhere in the world. Photo: wikipedia.org

The most difficult things to detect and destroy are nuclear submarines armed with nuclear missiles, mobile soil complexes and nuclear trains. By the way, Russia is actively working on the creation of such a train, armed with six RS-24 Yars ICBMs.

The United States has the most powerful submarine with nuclear missiles. Their Ohio nuclear submarines have colossal destructive power. Each of them is equipped with 24 missile silos, this is still an unbeaten world record. In total, the Americans have eighteen such submarines.

The main boats are Trident II D-5 missiles, which can be equipped with either 14 W76 warheads with a capacity of 100 kt, or 8 W88 warheads (475 kt).

Thus, having fired all its ammunition, the Ohio is capable of unleashing up to 336 warheads on the enemy.

What can a nuclear warhead do?

The primacy in the use of nuclear weapons belongs to the United States, which dropped nuclear bombs to the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was 13-18 kilotons. This was enough to destroy all buildings within a radius of 2 km from the epicenter. Within a radius of 12 kilometers, buildings suffered more or less significant destruction. 90% of people who were at a distance of 800 meters or less from the epicenter died in the first minutes.

Journalists film a nuclear explosion. Photo: ammoussr.ru

For comparison: the power of a modern warhead of the Topol-M complex is 550 Kt - this is approximately 30 Hiroshima. According to information published by meduza.io, such an explosion is capable of destroying almost all buildings within a radius of 5 kilometers from the epicenter. Destruction of varying severity will occur within a radius of 30 kilometers.

The range of modern nuclear missiles is 8-11 thousand km, which is enough to hit any target on Earth. The accuracy of these deadly products is quite high. For example, Russian rocket The RS-18 Stiletto has a probable circular deviation of about 350 meters.

What guarantees of non-use are there?

The entire theory of deterrence is based on the inevitability of mutual destruction in the event of a nuclear conflict. In Soviet times, such a guarantee was the “Perimeter” system, or “Dead Hand”, as it was called in the West.

Photo: iveinternet.ru

The “Dead Hand” was endowed with the ability to analyze changes in the military and political situation in the world - the machine assessed commands received over a certain period of time, and on their basis could conclude that “something is wrong” in the world.

If the Perimeter brain decided that a nuclear strike had been carried out on the country and the entire leadership had been destroyed, then the system would be activated to release the entire remaining nuclear arsenal at the enemy. "Perimeter" could bring the team not only to silo-based missiles, but also to missile submarines, equipped with nuclear weapons, control centers of the Air Force, Navy and Strategic Missile Forces, naval and long-range missile-carrying aircraft.

Photo: dokwar.ru

Last year Russia about planned modernization automatic system Dead Hand control.

"Journal of Theory" international relations and world politics" writes that today the United States and other members of the nuclear club have different understandings of the essence of the emerging "offensive deterrence." For Americans, it is important to force Russia, China and illegal nuclear powers to reduce their nuclear capabilities. For Moscow and Beijing, it is to encourage the United States to abandon unfriendly steps towards them.

Who could theoretically start a nuclear war?

Today, tensions exist between many nuclear-armed powers. Russia doesn't have the best better relationship with the USA, India with Pakistan, North Korea also threatens the Americans.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Photo: unian.net

From the moment the decision is made to the pressing of the “red button,” a very short period of time passes, during which the fate of millions of people is decided. Thus, Hillary Clinton said that approximately 4 minutes pass from the moment the order is given until the people responsible for launching nuclear weapons do so.

Military observer Alexander Golts said in an interview with meduza.io that only a leader with “super values” can decide to start a nuclear war. That is, someone for whom there is something more important than the survival of his own people.

“In this case, the doctrine of mutual deterrence ceases to work: after all, this leader is not afraid that irreparable damage will be caused to his country. In addition, it is required that such a leader should not be bound by the need to consult with anyone. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un best meets these criteria.”.

Nuclear summer or winter: what will a nuclear war lead to?

What happens after a nuclear exchange? Professor at the American College of Wooster John Gates is confident that a nuclear summer will come. In his book The US Army and Unconventional Warfare and Irregular Warfare) Gates suggested, after numerous nuclear explosions, as well as the numerous fires they cause, the temperature on Earth will rise by several degrees.

According to another version, nuclear winter may come. This was first mentioned in the work “Nuclear Winter: global consequences multiple nuclear explosions" (Nuclear Winter: Global consequences of multiple nuclear explosions) in 1983.

In it, scientists came to the conclusion that the main effect of the explosions would be the cooling of the Earth, since the soot rising into the air would cover the Sun. In many regions of the earth, temperatures will drop below zero degrees, and this will last about a year.

In 2007-2008, Rutgers University scientist Alan Robock, as a result of research, came to the conclusion that after a global nuclear conflict, soot will be in upper layers atmosphere for about 10 years. At the same time, in North America Temperatures will drop by 20 degrees Celsius, and in Eurasia by 30.

Scientists Luc Ohman and Georgy Stenchikov believe that after nuclear war nuclear autumn will come. They wrote about this in their work in the Journal of Geophysical Research. According to their calculations, if about 150 million tons of soot are emitted into the atmosphere, the temperature on the Earth's surface will decrease by an average of seven to eight degrees Celsius. And even after 10 years, the temperature will remain 4 degrees below normal.

Experts regarded the negotiations held in Minsk by Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Grigory Karasin as a hint at the return of nuclear weapons to our country.

Tut.by drew attention to the visit of a high-ranking Russian diplomat to Belarus. The portal noted that in Minsk Grigory Karasin was expected not only at the Foreign Ministry, but also at the presidential administration. The Russian deputy minister was received by its leader, Vladimir Makei. At this meeting, according to the head of the department foreign policy Presidential administration of Maxim Ryzhenkov, a wide range of “specific sensitive issues” were discussed, writes Salidarnasts.

“With a high degree of probability, it can be assumed that one of the “specific sensitive issues” concerned cooperation in the military sphere,” the portal writes. - It is worth recalling that all last year Difficult negotiations were going on between Russia and the United States on the terms of placement American system Missile defense in Europe. These negotiations were never successful."

In this regard, it is mentioned that in November 2011, a military-diplomatic source in Moscow told Interfax that the Russian Federation could deploy missile systems“Iskander” and on the territory of Belarus: “This will make it possible to fend off threats to Russia’s strategic nuclear forces in the event of the deployment of US missile defense elements near our borders.”

“It is quite possible that in the current situation things may go beyond anonymous statements from military-diplomatic sources,” the portal concluded

“The introduction of missiles is contrary to the highest law of the state”

Former judge Constitutional Court Belarusian Mikhail Pastukhov considers the possible deployment of atomic weapons on the territory of our country illegal:

– Article 18 of the Constitution declares Belarus a nuclear-free zone and a neutral state. Therefore, the introduction of missiles, both offensive and defensive, is contrary to the highest law of the state.

A military columnist for the newspaper “Belarusy i Rynok”, Alexander Alesin, has a different opinion. He believes the option of placing atomic weapons on the territory of Belarus is quite possible.

– We will talk about Russian bases and Russian weapons, says the expert. - It will be under the jurisdiction of Russia, and will be formalized accordingly from the point of view of international treaties.

Alexander Alesin reminds that the practice of placing such bases is widespread in North Atlantic Alliance:

– There are storage facilities in NATO countries American bombs, which were recently used to store tactical nuclear warheads.

However, this scenario is fraught with extremely unpleasant consequences for our country.

– Belarus will automatically turn into a target and become the primary target of preventive nuclear strike, - explained Alesin.

The expert believes more real option accommodation in Belarus Russian complexes"Iskander-M":

– Judging by the fact that Russia and the United States cannot agree on missile defense, if events pass the “point of return”, then the removal Russian weapons beyond the territory of the Russian Federation is quite possible.

“No one will cross the red line”

In turn, senior analyst of the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Studies Denis Melyantsov considers it impossible to deploy nuclear weapons in our country.

“This is prohibited by international law, as is the option of deploying Russian interceptor missiles,” the expert noted. - Belarus declared itself a neutral state and committed itself not to deploy anti-missile missiles and other weapons that would significantly change the balance of power in the region.

According to the analyst, through the mouth of Grigory Karasin, Russia is coordinating not the prospects for deployment, but the “nuclear rhetoric” that is effective in international treaty processes.

“I’m not sure that Russia will ultimately decide to deploy missiles, because the negotiation process on missile defense is still underway,” emphasizes Denis Melyantsov. - The Obama administration is ready to make concessions. If we recall how the issue of Belarus’ participation in the missile defense system was discussed at the Munich Security Conference, escalation is not possible, but only rhetoric, which is very effective.

The expert believes that Russia is exploring all options when it comes to “flexing its muscles.”

“Most likely, the negotiations between the distinguished Russian guest and Vladimir Makei concerned precisely the coordination of rhetoric on the issue of deployment of weapons,” notes the interlocutor of “Salidarnastsi”. - Official Minsk, in turn, competently plays along. We are monitoring the situation in relations with Russia and can state: over the past six months, there have been virtually no negative statements from official Minsk regarding Moscow.

– There is no need for atomic weapons and missile defenses. This will worsen the West’s relations with Russia and certainly with Belarus. The imperative for the survival of the Belarusian government is the possibility of balance. No one will cross the red line...