There are no indications that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons
: a senior US government official said as he commented to Reuters on yesterday's announcement by the Kremlin that it intends to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
"We have found no reason to change our strategic nuclear position, nor any indication that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon. We remain committed to the collective defense of the NATO alliance," the senior official said. the news agency on its site.
Russia and Belarus have been talking about transferring nuclear weapons for some time, he added.
Yesterday Vladimir Putin announced that
"the construction of a tactical nuclear weapons depot in Belarus will be completed on 1 July".
The Russian president said that this was not an unusual choice and specified that the nuclear weapons supplied to Moscow will not be transferred, but that they will be placed there to train the Belarusian military, "as the United States did in Europe".
Ten aircraft are ready to use this type of weapon, ”he continued, and“ from April 3, we will start training crews, ”while
the Iskander missile system has already been delivered to Minsk
, capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
The agreement between the tsar and Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko would take place "without violating their obligations under the Start Treaty".
At least that's what Moscow claims.
And after Great Britain announced the shipment of depleted uranium munitions to Kiev, considered "a threat to Russia" and a way "to prolong the war", Putin replied in the same way: "We have, without exaggeration , hundreds of thousands of such munitions. At the moment we are not using them. They are very dangerous weapons for man and nature due to radioactive dust".
From his words it is clear, if necessary, he will have them shot.
A test of strength, that of Putin, which also affects conventional weapons.
Kiev has managed to unblock the jets, which will arrive from Poland and Slovakia, and
Moscow is responding with armored vehicles, announcing the production of "over 1,600 tanks within a year
", so as to outnumber the Ukrainian ones "by more than three times".
ANSA Agency
Nordic countries towards joint air defense from Russia - Europe
Letter of intent from the air force commanders of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark to create a unified Nordic air defense to counter the growing threat from Russia (ANSA)
Meanwhile, according to the Kiev army,
170,550 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the invasion
, including 660 yesterday.
In its update on Moscow's losses so far, the Ukrainian military also indicates that 305 Russian fighters, 291 helicopters and 2,216 Russian drones have been shot down.
The national media reported it.
Kiev forces also say they destroyed 3,595 Russian tanks, 2,631 artillery systems, 6,947 armored fighting vehicles, 18 ships, 522
multiple launch missile systems, 277 anti-aircraft defense systems and 911 cruise missiles.
