Nuclear weapons in Belarus ‘unlikely to be used'

MOSCOW, 6 April (BelTA) – State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Aleksandr Volfovich believes that things will not go so far that the nuclear weapons, which are supposed to be deployed in Belarus, will have to be used. The official made the relevant statement while talking to reporters in Moscow, BelTA has learned.

Asked when Belarus will get nuclear warheads, Aleksandr Volfovich said: “When our leaders make the decision. The commander-in-chief of the Russian Federation and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Belarus. It is up to them to make the decision.”

“The number of warheads doesn't matter. What matters is how they will be used and whether they will be used correctly. And we know how to use them. As for whether they will have to be used or not… I don't think things will go so far that they will need to be used. After all, warheads and other tactical or strategic nuclear munitions are primarily designed as a deterrent, designed to ensure security of both Russia and Belarus,” Aleksandr Volfovich said.

Asked to clarify where the warheads will be deployed (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Belarus Boris Gryzlov previously said they would be deployed at Belarus' western border), Aleksandr Volfovich noted: “Entire Belarus is located near the western border. It is the western outpost of the Union State of Belarus and Russia. We don't have to deploy them near the borders of Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. They can be placed anywhere. The distance and length of Belarus is 600km. It offers plenty of space for deployment. [During the USSR times] the Belarusian Military District used to have over 43 sites for deploying nuclear weapons. All of them have been preserved. The president said that.”