Belarusian President Lukashenko has told Belarusian state owned media that he welcomes the reintroduction of strategic nuclear weapons back into Belarus and has ordered the military to restore Topol-M nuclear missile launch sites to prepare for transfer from the Russian Federation.

In his address to the Belarusian people and the National Assembly, he said: “If necessary, strategic nuclear weapons will also be introduced into Belarus,” and then continued to praise the protection of the former Soviet bloc nation from its generous benefactors in Moscow.

Belarus had 81 single warhead missiles stationed on its territory after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. They were all transferred to Russia by 1996. In May 1992, Belarus acceded to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). On 28 February 2022, Belarus held a constitutional referendum, in which it dropped its “Non-nuclear” status, in light of Belarusian involvement in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. In October 2022 Russia announced plans to transfer dual-capable Iskander-M missile systems, although with conventional warheads, and giving Belorussian Su-25s the “technical ability to carry nuclear weapons.” (wiki)