According to the New York Times analysis, security measures characteristic of Russian nuclear weapons storage sites are being established in a cold war-era ammunition depot near the city of Osipovichi. “If Russia were to move weapons there, it would be the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 that it has stored them beyond its borders,” the newspaper emphasizes.
“Russia already has nuclear warheads on its own territory near Ukraine and NATO countries, but positioning them in Belarus appears to be an attempt to underline the nuclear threat and deterrence power,” writes The New York Times.
“Special warehouse for tactical nuclear weapons” in Belarus.
The Russian leader Vladimir Putin mentioned at the beginning of the year that Russia will soon finish building a “special warehouse for tactical nuclear weapons” in Belarus.
The NYT analyzed recordings and satellite images, as well as conducted conversations with experts on nuclear weapons and arms control, to trace the new construction that began in March 2023, approximately 190 km north of the border with Ukraine.
Among the features typical for Russian nuclear weapon storage sites, a triple fence around the strictly guarded area was noticed, in addition to the existing security of the entire facility, as well as a covered loading ramp connected to a structure that appears to be an underground bunker from the Soviet era.
Hans Kristensen from the Federation of American Scientists said, after analyzing the object, that the construction related to nuclear weapons in Belarus “probably aims to destabilize the most eastern NATO member states, but it will not give Russia a considerable new military advantage in the region.”
