Vladimir Putin’s ally Alexander Lukashenko said that Russia has completed its shipments of tactical nuclear weapons to his country.
The initiative, which kicked off over the summer, raised strong concerns in neighbouring Poland and elsewhere in the region.
Lukashenko said at a meeting of a Moscow-led economic bloc in St. Petersburg that the shipments were completed in October.
However, he did not give details of how many weapons were sent or where they have been deployed.
Tactical nuclear weapons, which are intended for use on the battlefield, have a short range and a low yield compared with much more powerful nuclear warheads fitted to long-range missiles.
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Lukashenko and Putin both confirmed Soviet-era facilities had been readied to accommodate the weapons over the summer.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg at the time branded the unconfirmed move as “dangerous and reckless” rhetoric.
Minsk-based military analyst Aliaksandr Alesin told PBS that tactical nuclear weapons have a smaller wield compared to intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Alesin said: “They easily fit in a regular Il-76 transport plane.
“There are dozens of flights a day, and it’s very difficult to track down that special flight. The Americans could fail to monitor it.”
Lukashenko’s claims come as Russia suffered a significant blow after Ukraine damaged a Russian ship in its latest strike in Crimea.
