What will it bring to the world?, Putin announces the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus | NATO | Putin
Faced with NATO's step-by-step pressure, Putin finally unveiled a "big weapon" in his hand - tactical nuclear weapons.
According to Xinhua News Agency, on the 16th, Russian President Putin revealed for the first time in his speech at the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that he has deployed the first batch of nuclear warheads to Belarus and will complete the task of deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus by the end of the year.
Putin also said that if Russia's territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty are threatened, nuclear weapons can theoretically be used. In this situation, Russia will use all available forces and means at its disposal. However, there is currently no need for Russia to use nuclear weapons.
According to the US "Power" website, the White House quickly condemned this statement, stating that it was "very irresponsible". US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on the 16th that the Biden government did not believe that Russia was prepared to use these weapons, and "we have no reason to adjust our nuclear posture".
How terrifying are tactical nuclear weapons? Will this weapon really be taken out and used? Chao News reporters interviewed multiple international military experts.
"Three times more powerful than the Hiroshima Nagasaki atomic bomb"
According to reports, Belarusian President Lukashenko announced on the evening of the 13th that the country has begun receiving tactical nuclear weapons from Russia, including weapons three times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped by the United States in Japan in 1945.
According to public information, the design equivalent of the "Little Boy" atomic bomb dropped by the US military in Hiroshima and the "Fatty" atomic bomb dropped in Nagasaki are both 20000 tons of TNT. Therefore, according to Lukashenko's statement, the nuclear warhead deployed in Belarus should have a power of around 60000 tons of TNT.
According to the Associated Press, on May 25th local time, Russia and Belarus signed an agreement related to nuclear weapons. According to media reports, the agreement stipulates that Belarus will allow Russia's nuclear weapons and delivery equipment to be deployed on its territory.
In fact, as early as March 25th, Putin stated that Lukashenko had repeatedly requested Russia to deploy nuclear weapons within its borders, but Russia has not agreed in order to maintain regional stability. It was not until Britain provided assistance to Ukraine with depleted uranium armor piercing shells that White Russia agreed to the request.
Officials from Russia and Belarus have made statements regarding the deployment of nuclear weapons. White Russian Defense Minister Khrushchev stated that this is a response to unfriendly countries; Russian Defense Minister Shoigu stated that deploying nuclear weapons to Belarus has increased its external countermeasures.
Regarding the deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus, Putin gave two time points in his statement on March 25th, namely starting personnel training on April 1st and building relevant facilities in Belarus on July 1st. In addition, Putin also stated that Russia has provided Belarus with 10 aircraft capable of carrying out tactical nuclear strike missions, and will deploy the Iskander missile in Belarus in the future.
"What the United States does, Russia can do the same."
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Galuzin emphasized in March this year that nuclear weapons entering Belarus are still fully controlled by Russia, so Belarus still complies with the relevant provisions of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty and all actions comply with international law.
According to Colonel Shao Yongling, a military expert and retired researcher of the Rocket Force, Galuzin's remarks are seen by Russians as having some validity. "Since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Russia has never deployed any nuclear weapons outside its own territory. As Russia's fiercest competitor, the United States has deployed nuclear weapons in many of its allies, and according to public data, there are at least five such allies. In addition, since the Russia-Ukraine conflict, rumors of the United States deploying nuclear weapons in Poland and South Korea have been popular. Therefore, some people in Russia have stressed that Russia is just doing the same thing as the United States."
In fact, the United States has shown a relatively calm attitude towards Russia's deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus. When Putin announced this decision, the Pentagon had already made a statement and emphasized that it would not change the operational status of its nuclear weapons. In addition, the US has not found any signs of Russia using nuclear weapons.
The White House subsequently issued a statement similar to the Pentagon's statement, but emphasizing that the US will be committed to strengthening NATO's collective defense.
Russia has already deployed nuclear weapons overseas, and Belarus, which has long borders with Ukraine and Poland, why is the United States not responding strongly?
"Firstly, the United States has deployed a large number of nuclear weapons in non domestic territories, so the US has no face in accusing Russia. Since the US can deploy nuclear weapons in Europe far away from its homeland, some people will naturally question why Russia cannot deploy nuclear weapons in its neighboring countries." Shao Yongling believes that although the United States is a "double standard habitual offender", using this as an excuse to accuse Russia will have a negative impact on the image of the United States if it is unreasonable.
"Secondly, the Russian side has previously revealed that the main delivery vehicle for these tactical nuclear weapons will be the 'Iskander' missile, and even the most advanced missile of this type cannot threaten the US mainland, so the US naturally has a 'irrelevant' mentality."
Map of Europe, showing Belarus bordering Poland and Ukraine
How will Poland and Ukraine react after "hanging a sword"?
However, after Belarus deployed nuclear warheads, countries such as Poland and Ukraine had a sword of Damocles hanging from their heads.
"We know that Poland is one of the most active countries in aiding Ukraine, and also one of the countries with the greatest hostility towards Russia and Belarus. In the past year or so, Poland has provided Ukraine with only the second largest amount of military aid to the United States and Britain, and the Polish army has repeatedly provoked Belarus' border defense forces and damaged the equipment of Belarus' border posts."
According to Shao Yongling, Ukraine has also deployed a large number of troops on its northern border. "Although the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense claims that this is to prevent the Russian army from heading south from Belarus again and directly attacking Kiev, who can guarantee that the Ukrainian army will not launch an attack on Belarus and 'besiege Wei and save Zhao'?"
"Now there are tactical nuclear weapons within Belarus that can be delivered with ballistic missiles. If Poland and Ukraine act recklessly, as long as the Kremlin orders, missiles carrying tactical nuclear bombs will land in Warsaw or Kiev within a few minutes." Shao Yongling analyzed.
However, Poland and Ukraine may also take action. "Once Russia's nuclear weapons officially enter Belarus, Poland may strongly demand that the US military deploy nuclear weapons within its borders, Ukraine will also be more eager to join NATO, and the situation in Europe may further escalate."
Long before the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia appealed to the United States to withdraw its nuclear weapons stationed in Europe, but the United States and NATO categorically refused. Shao Yongling believes that saying that Russia has deployed nuclear weapons abroad for the first time after the Cold War is also to some extent a helpless move by the United States under encirclement and interception.
Can nuclear bombs offset the threat of Finland and Sweden joining NATO?
Can Russia's deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus effectively offset the threat posed by Finland's accession to NATO and the likely accession of Sweden to NATO?
"The main purpose of deploying nuclear weapons in Belarus is not to target Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO, but to target US military bases within NATO's borders, which is the most crucial." Military expert Song Zhongping told Chao News reporters that because Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO mainly focuses on the competition in the Arctic and Arctic regions, rather than the Baltic Sea surrounding Ukraine.
On the other hand, if Russia deploys nuclear weapons in Belarus using the Iskander missile, its strike range will further extend westward. "The deployment of nuclear weapons in certain European countries' US military bases, as well as in the UK, a nuclear armed country, may become targets of Russia's tactical nuclear weapons," Song Zhongping analyzed.
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What kind of "artifact" is tactical nuclear weapons?
Nuclear weapons are divided into two categories: strategic and tactical nuclear weapons, based on their assigned tasks or operational purposes. Strategic nuclear weapons refer to nuclear weapons used to attack enemy strategic targets, such as land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, strategic cruise missiles, etc. Tactical nuclear weapons often refer to nuclear weapons used in battlefield operations to suppress and eliminate enemy tactical targets and combat forces, such as tactical missiles, attack type nuclear submarines, etc.
The biggest difference between tactical nuclear weapons and strategic nuclear weapons is that their explosive power is relatively small. The explosive yield of a single tactical nuclear weapon ranges from tens of tons to hundreds of thousands of tons of TNT equivalent, and its killing range is relatively small, making it difficult to destroy solid underground targets.
In addition, tactical nuclear weapons also have several characteristics:
One is a close range. Generally ranging from tens to hundreds of kilometers. For example, the range of nuclear shells usually does not exceed 100 kilometers, and tactical nuclear ballistic missiles do not exceed 1000 kilometers.
The second is high strike accuracy. The power of tactical nuclear weapons is not significant, and to maintain high strike effectiveness, it is necessary to improve strike accuracy and have the ability to implement surgical point killing. For example, the accuracy of tactical cruise missiles is within ten meters, while the accuracy of tactical nuclear ballistic missiles can be around ten meters.
The third is diverse types, easy to carry, and strong maneuverability. Tactical nuclear weapons can be made into many types, such as aviation bombs, shells, torpedoes, mines, depth charges, landmines, and even nuclear backpacks. They are small in size and easy to carry, and can be carried on land, in the air, on water, underwater, or even by a single person. In addition, the target of attack is usually the enemy's military premises and other clear targets, and it will not carry out rough strikes that do not distinguish between military and civilian targets like strategic nuclear weapons.
Another distinctive feature of tactical nuclear weapons is that their effects can be tailored. It can carry different types of small hydrogen bombs with tailored effects, such as medium bullets that kill living forces and do not damage buildings or other weapons and equipment, shockwave bombs that destroy sturdy buildings, fortifications, and weapons and equipment, nuclear magnetic pulse bombs that interfere with and damage weapons, electronic and electrical systems, and computer networks, and nuclear ground penetrating bombs that destroy missile launch wells, underground command centers, and weapon depots.
However, not all nuclear powers have the ability to operationalize tactical nuclear weapons, and currently only the United States and Russia may actually deploy tactical nuclear weapons. Russian tactical nuclear weapons are mainly dominated by high yield and quantity, while American tactical nuclear weapons win with high accuracy, good reliability, and flexible use, which is enough to make up for their shortage in quantity. For example, the accuracy of tactical nuclear weapons in the United States can reach tens or even less than ten meters. Therefore, although the yield is small, the strike effectiveness is higher than that of Russia, and the accompanying damage is small, with weak environmental impact, making it "worth ten".
