Belarus Starts Deploying Russian Nuclear Weapons
2023-06-15
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1Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said his country has started receiving Russian tactical nuclear weapons.
2He added that some of them were three times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
3The move is Russia's first deployment of nuclear weapons outside the country after the fall of the Soviet Union.
4The shorter-range, less powerful nuclear weapons could possibly be used on the battlefield.
5"We have missiles and bombs that we have received from Russia," Lukashenko told Russian state TV broadcaster Rossiya-1.
6"The bombs are three times more powerful than those (dropped on) Hiroshima and Nagasaki."
7Lukashenko spoke to the broadcaster in a forest clearing with military vehicles and some kind of military structure in the background.
8His comment was also posted on the Telegram account of Belarusian state news agency Belta.
9Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia would start deploying them in Belarus after storage facilities to house them were made ready.
10And Russia would keep control of the tactical nuclear weapons.
11In March, the Russian leader said that the United States has deployed such weapons in several European countries over many years.
12The U.S. has criticized Putin's decision but said it has not seen any signs that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon.
13The Russian move, however, is being watched closely by the U.S. and its allies.
14China, another nuclear power, has repeatedly warned against the use of nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine.
15Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia, has ruled Belarus since 1994.
16He has repeatedly accused Western nations of trying to oust him after mass protests against his rule took place in 2020.
17At the time, the opposition accused Lukashenko of cheating in the presidential election.
18Lukashenko said he had won fairly while suppressing his opponents.
19The former Soviet Union official said he did not simply ask Putin for the weapons, but "demanded" them.
20"We have always been a target," Lukashenko said.
21"They (the West) have wanted to tear us to pieces since 2020. No one has so far fought against a nuclear country, a country that has nuclear weapons."
22Lukashenko told Russian state TV that his country had several nuclear storage facilities left over from the days of the Soviet Union.
23He said five or six of them had been repaired.
24He said Russian control of the weapons does not mean they cannot be used quickly.
25He noted that he and Putin could talk to each other "at any moment".
26Lukashenko has permitted his country to be used by Russian forces to attack Ukraine.
27He now says that the nuclear deployment will act to prevent aggression from other countries.
28Besides Ukraine, Belarus borders three NATO member countries: Lithuania, Latvia and Poland.
29I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said his country has started receiving Russian tactical nuclear weapons. He added that some of them were three times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. 2The move is Russia's first deployment of nuclear weapons outside the country after the fall of the Soviet Union. The shorter-range, less powerful nuclear weapons could possibly be used on the battlefield. 3"We have missiles and bombs that we have received from Russia," Lukashenko told Russian state TV broadcaster Rossiya-1. "The bombs are three times more powerful than those (dropped on) Hiroshima and Nagasaki." 4Lukashenko spoke to the broadcaster in a forest clearing with military vehicles and some kind of military structure in the background. His comment was also posted on the Telegram account of Belarusian state news agency Belta. 5Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia would start deploying them in Belarus after storage facilities to house them were made ready. And Russia would keep control of the tactical nuclear weapons. 6In March, the Russian leader said that the United States has deployed such weapons in several European countries over many years. 7The U.S. has criticized Putin's decision but said it has not seen any signs that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon. The Russian move, however, is being watched closely by the U.S. and its allies. China, another nuclear power, has repeatedly warned against the use of nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine. 8"We have always been a target" 9Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia, has ruled Belarus since 1994. 10He has repeatedly accused Western nations of trying to oust him after mass protests against his rule took place in 2020. At the time, the opposition accused Lukashenko of cheating in the presidential election. Lukashenko said he had won fairly while suppressing his opponents. 11The former Soviet Union official said he did not simply ask Putin for the weapons, but "demanded" them. "We have always been a target," Lukashenko said. "They (the West) have wanted to tear us to pieces since 2020. No one has so far fought against a nuclear country, a country that has nuclear weapons." 12Lukashenko told Russian state TV that his country had several nuclear storage facilities left over from the days of the Soviet Union. He said five or six of them had been repaired. 13He said Russian control of the weapons does not mean they cannot be used quickly. He noted that he and Putin could talk to each other "at any moment". 14Lukashenko has permitted his country to be used by Russian forces to attack Ukraine. He now says that the nuclear deployment will act to prevent aggression from other countries. 15Besides Ukraine, Belarus borders three NATO member countries: Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. 16I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 17Lidia Kelly and Andrew Osborn adapted this Reuters report for VOA Learning English. Hai Do adapted the story for Learning English. 18____________________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20tactical - adj. relating to a specific plan to achieve a goal in war, politics... 21facility - n. something that is built for a specific purpose 22___________________________________________________________________ 23We want to hear from you. 24Here is how our comment system works: 25Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.