Putin sends tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus on border with Nato in major escalation

Putin insists there is nothing untoward in his plans, despite Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko long raising the issue of stationing nuclear weapons in Belarus, with it neighbouring Poland.

He told state television: “There is nothing unusual here either. Firstly, the United States has been doing this for decades.

“They have long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allied countries.

“We agreed that we will do the same - without violating our obligations, I emphasise, without violating our international obligation on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.”

Russia is currently building a storage facility in Belarus for tactical nuclear weapons, and the construction is set to be complete by July 1, according to Putin.

Russian operations in Belarus do not end there, with 10 aircraft capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons also deployed in the country.

Putin added that Moscow has also transferred a number of Iskander tactical missile systems that can be used to launch nuclear weapons to their allied nation.

Russia has used the country as a staging ground to send troops to Ukraine since the invasion started.

Moscow and Minsk have also maintained close military ties as Russia continues to inflict terror on Ukraine.

It comes after Russia warned Britain over their continued support for Ukraine, with plans to potentially arm Ukraine with tank shells being a particular point of contention.

The shells would contain depleted uranium, which Putin’s officials believe could stem a “nuclear collision”.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov commented: “This is a step towards further escalation, and a serious one at that.”

He also said the move would negatively impact the food supply in Ukraine, saying their ability to produce “high-quality, uncontaminated” products would “sharply reduce”.

Putin vowed Russia would be “forced to react” to such an act by the UK.

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu has added his voice to the echoes of warning from the east, saying: “Only one thing can be said here - there are not so many steps, another step has been passed, and there are fewer and fewer of them.”

Discussing the prospect of a nuclear collision, he said: “ It was not by chance that I told you about steps.

“There are fewer and fewer.”

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has accused the UK of “genocide”.

“The use of ammunition with depleted uranium is a manifestation of genocide of the population against which it is used and the people who use them,” she said.