Belarus can become legitimate target to prevent nuclear threat – Defense Express expert Riabykh

Valerii Riabykh, director of the Defense Express media and consulting company, shared his point of view with Espreso TV.

“Nobody will give the Belarusian military a nuclear button. They are being exploited by placing these munitions on their territory and exposing the entire Belarusian society to great danger. When such weapons are deployed, Belarus is a legitimate target for all the necessary effective means to prevent, in particular, a nuclear threat to European countries,” he said.

Riabykh recalled that Putin said that the Russian military would be in charge of all operational control.

“They have all the logistics, control, storage and access codes for such weapons. Belarusians are assigned the role of some kind of extras in this shameful game of the Russian dictator,” the expert concluded.

• Vladimir Putin said that a storage facility for Russian tactical nuclear weapons will be completed in Belarus by July 1.

• The Institute for the Study of War reported that Putin announced the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus in order to intimidate the West and reduce the effectiveness of Ukraine's counteroffensive.

• NSDC Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said that the placement of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus will make Putin more unpopular in Belarus. Mykhailo Podolyak noted that this step proves that Putin is afraid of losing the war.

• Vladimir Putin said that a storage facility for Russian tactical nuclear weapons will be completed in Belarus by July 1.

• The Institute for the Study of War reported that Putin announced the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus in order to scare the West and reduce the effectiveness of Ukraine's counteroffensive.

• Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, said that the placement of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus makes Putin more unpopular in Belarusian society. Mykhailo Podolyak noted that this step proves that Vladimir Putin is afraid of losing the war.

• The German Foreign Ministry criticized Russia's placement of nuclear weapons in Belarus and called it "an intimidation attempt."

• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reacted to Russia's intentions to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus and demanded to convene the UN Security Council.

• In turn, the head of diplomacy of the European Union, Josep Borrell, said that if the Russian Federation deploys nuclear weapons in Belarus, the EU will introduce new sanctions.

• The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs called such an intention of the Russian president a step towards further drawing the country into the military machine.

• The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry called for additional economic restrictions against Moscow and Minsk to be included in the new EU sanctions package because of the Kremlin's statements about the deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus.