The Russian news agency TASS reported that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated on Thursday that "dozens of Russian tactical nuclear weapons have been deployed in his country under an agreement announced by Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin last year." Last June, Belarus, a Russian ally, stated that it began receiving the weapons, marking the first time Russia has deployed nuclear missiles in a foreign country since the Soviet era.
Official Russian news agencies quoted the head of the security service in Belarus on Thursday, saying that "an attack on the capital Minsk by drones launched from Lithuania has been thwarted." The Russian news agency reported that Ivan Tertel, the head of the Belarusian State Security Committee, stated, "The State Security Committee, in cooperation with colleagues from other law enforcement agencies, recently carried out a series of stringent security measures that prevented attacks by combat drones from Lithuanian territory on targets in Minsk and its outskirts."
In this context, Alexander Lukashenko noted that "his country faces serious internal and external threats that required a change in its security posture and the permission for Russia to deploy dozens of tactical nuclear weapons on its territory." Lukashenko added, without providing evidence, that the opposition in Belarus planned to seize a region in the west of the country and sought support from NATO forces, which the opposition denied, describing it as a ridiculous claim.
These comments came during a meeting of the People's Council in Belarus, a constitutional entity consisting of about 1,200 delegates set to approve amendments to the national security concept and military doctrine of the country.
