31.2 C
Accra
Friday, December 13, 2024
WorldBelarus jets are now able to carry nuclear weapons

Date:

Belarus jets are now able to carry nuclear weapons

According to Sergei Shoigu, the minister of defense for Russia, some jets from Belarus can currently transport nuclear bombs.

The action is thought to be a reaction to Finland’s anticipated NATO membership, which is expected to be confirmed later today.

On a conference call at the military department, Shoigu stated that “some of the Belarusian ground attack planes have achieved the capability to strike against enemy targets with nuclear-armed weapons.”

He also confirmed that a number of Iskander rocket systems had been transferred to Belarus, which could be used to carry conventional or nuclear missiles.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the move on the same day Finland joins Nato

Meanwhile, Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said Finland’s accession to Nato later on Tuesday will be a historic event and a direct result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which prompted the Scandinavian nation and neighbouring Sweden to submit a joint application to the bloc.

‘President Putin had as a declared goal of the invasion of Ukraine to get less NATO,’ he told reporters ahead of a meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers.

‘He is getting exactly the opposite… Finland today, and soon also Sweden will become a full fledged member of the alliance,’ he said.

Sweden’s application has for now become stuck, with Turkish President Erdogan accusing Stockholm of embracing Kurdish militants and allowing them to demonstrate on the streets.

Hungary is also yet to approve Sweden’s application.

Elsewhere, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met with the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin to speak of ‘unbelievable threats.’

In an address to the Belarusian people on March 31, Lukashenko claimed that Nato countries were preparing for an imminent invasion of the country.

During a press conference, he said: ‘Taking into consideration various developments going on in the world, and not the last factor here is fight against terrorism, we see that the special military operation of the Russian Federation prompted us to have a scrupulous look at law enforcement, military and security services.

‘As I often say, had this not happened, we would have had to come up with something else to spur ourselves to take action. Thus we had to get the ball rolling.

‘Yet, threats are very serious, sometimes unbelievable.’

He also claimed that in addition to nuclear support, Moscow had been working to bolster Belarus’ intelligence services.

‘All sorts of b******s come to the surface in our country and yours [Russia], and they side with foreign terrorists,’ Lukashenko told Naryshkin.

‘I cannot define them otherwise. This is not intelligence, not counterintelligence, these are our enemies,’ he added.

Russia has long threatened to bolster its defences along the Finnish border if Nato provides any military assistance its Scandinavian neighbour.

Finland shares an 832-mile land border with Russia, the largest in Europe, and its entry will more than double the size of Nato’s border with Russia.

The move is a strategic and political blow to Vladimir Putin, who has long complained about Nato’s expansion towards Russian territory.

[forminator_poll id="710479"]

Latest stories

They all cheat on me – Tiwa Savage on relationships in latest interview

Award-winning Nigerian singer, Tiwa Savage, revealed a surprising view...

MoF reports robust 6.3% economic growth for Ghana in 2024

Ghana's economy has surpassed expectations with a growth rate...

PLAYBACK: NDC addresses recollation, re-declaration of disputed parliamentary results

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has held a press...

NDC files court injunction to halt re-collation of Nsawam-Adoagyiri results

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has reportedly obtained a...

Parliament will operate smoothly on Dec 16 – Afenyo-Markin

The Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has promised Ghanaians that...

GSE records nearly GHS2bn in trades, market value soars by 165%

The Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) saw shares worth nearly...

Related stories

Biden grants full pardon to son Hunter amid criminal sentencing

US President Joe Biden has granted a full and...

Court issues 2-year suspended death sentence to former Bank of China Chair for bribery, others

Former Bank of China chairman Liu Liange on Tuesday received...

Ghanaians among UN peacekeepers injured in Southern Lebanon attacks

The UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon has reported...

Russia denies Trump told Putin to restrain Ukraine war efforts

The Kremlin has rejected media reports suggesting that US...

More than 100 detained as protesters defy Amsterdam’s ban on protests

Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested in Amsterdam on...

Traffic jam erupts as cyclists from Zhengzhou to Kaifeng for dumplings

A social media trend that began as a lighthearted...

Adin Ross wins $1.6m on Trump election bet after public endorsement

American streamer and social media influencer Adin Ross scored...