Former head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service and former head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (2015-2016), Valeriy Kondratyuk, spoke about the danger of Russia’s placement of nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory for the Belarusians themselves.
Why do they want to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus?
“Despite the fact that means of delivering nuclear weapons, namely Iskander divisions and planes that can carry them, are being transferred to Lukashenko. The presence of this weapon on the territory of Belarus does not actually give Lukashenko any opportunity or authority to order its use. It’s all hypothetical,” said Kondratyuk.
In his opinion, nuclear weapons in Belarus are only being deployed to support Lukashenko’s fears. He is afraid that any changes in Belarus, such as a civil war, could provide a pretext for the introduction of NATO or UN peacekeeping forces. Lukashenko is deploying nuclear weapons to prevent the overthrow of his regime. In fact, these nuclear weapons belong to Russia, but their presence gives confidence to the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, the expert added.
Is there a threat of Belarus using nuclear weapons?
The greater threat arises for Belarusians themselves. This is because the placement of nuclear weapons on this territory makes Belarus a legitimate target in the event of a nuclear war,” emphasized Kondratyuk.
“Lukashenko now has two red lines. Firstly, he doesn’t want to join Russia. Secondly, Lukashenko is trying to avoid joining the war against Ukraine. If Lukashenko joins the war, he will end up in The Hague much faster than Putin, and he understands that,” said the former head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.