Belarus would be willing to use the nuclear weapons given by close ally Russia in the face of foreign “aggression,” President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday, as tensions rise around the country’s borders with NATO nations.
I’d be shocked if they actually had the capacity to fire the nuclear weapons Russia gave them.
That was the whole situation in Ukraine in 1994, Ukraine had them as part of the Soviet Union, they gave them to Russia in return for a promise from Russia to not use military force against them (whoops). Seems like a bad deal for Ukraine until you realize that they weren’t able to fire those weapons, the control was still in Moscow so it wasn’t like they could be used for national defense.
I’m inclined to agree with you but there’s a remote chance the puppet state of Belarus has the capability to launch. If they do, Russia can try to go for a facade of, if not innocence (that ship has sailed), less-than-complete guilt. Can’t imagine that anyone would buy it though.
I’d be shocked if they actually had the capacity to fire the nuclear weapons Russia gave them.
That was the whole situation in Ukraine in 1994, Ukraine had them as part of the Soviet Union, they gave them to Russia in return for a promise from Russia to not use military force against them (whoops). Seems like a bad deal for Ukraine until you realize that they weren’t able to fire those weapons, the control was still in Moscow so it wasn’t like they could be used for national defense.
I’m inclined to agree with you but there’s a remote chance the puppet state of Belarus has the capability to launch. If they do, Russia can try to go for a facade of, if not innocence (that ship has sailed), less-than-complete guilt. Can’t imagine that anyone would buy it though.
That’s not a showstopper. It’s just an issue of ‘how long it takes to retrofit/remove PALs’