Russian President Vladimir Putin says that Moscow will deploy some of its tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus next month, a move that the Belarusian opposition described as an attempt to blackmail the West. Putin said during Friday's meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that work on building facilities for the nuclear weapons will be completed by July 7-8, and they will be moved to Belarus quickly after that. The move comes as Ukraine has stepped up attacks in several sectors of the front line in what some observers see as the start of its long-expected counteroffensive. Russia used Belarus’ territory to send troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and has kept forces on Belarusian territory.
The main purpose of nuclear weapons is nuclear deterrence, not launching them. Belarus being next to NATO’s occupying forces makes it a highly likely target for a NATO invasion, this secures some stability in the region from Russia’s perspective.