Moscow: According to the Russian Defence Ministry, Belarusian air force crews have finished their training to use tactical nuclear weapons, which is part of Russia's plan to send the weapons to its ally Belarus amid the fighting in nearby Ukraine.

The ministry made available a video in which a pilot from Belarus claimed that the training in Russia had given the crews of the Su-25 ground attack jets of the Belarusian air force the skills they needed to operate the weapons.

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, announced last month that his country intended to station some of its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. It was yet another attempt by the leader of the Kremlin to use the nuclear threat to entice the West away from backing Ukraine.

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A union agreement between Russia and Belarus calls for close political, economic, and military ties. In February 2022, Russian forces entered Ukraine from the north using Belarusian territory, and they continue to be present there.

Russian tactical nuclear weapons would be closer to potential targets in Ukraine and NATO members in Eastern and Central Europe if they were moved to Belarus. The border between Belarus and NATO members Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland is 1,250 kilometres (778 miles).

These weapons are designed to eliminate enemy soldiers on the battlefield. Compared to nuclear warheads mounted on long-range strategic missiles, which are capable of destroying entire cities, they have a much shorter range and much lower power.

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By July 1, according to Putin, Belarusian storage facilities for tactical nuclear weapons will be finished. Additionally, Russia has given Belarus Iskander short-range missiles that can be equipped with nuclear warheads and has assisted Belarus in modernising its warplanes so they can carry nuclear weapons.

Putin has made it clear that Russia would maintain control over any nuclear weapons sent to Belarus, much like the US does with its tactical nuclear weapons stationed on the soil of its NATO allies.

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After the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine turned over the Soviet nuclear weapons that were stationed on their soil to Russia