Putin’s new WW3 threat to the West: Russia and its ally Belarus join forces for tactical nuke exercises

Belarus declared this morning that army units were collaborating with Russian forces on a fresh phase of exercises to practice the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons.

The first phase of the drills, ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, took place last month and were condemned by Western leaders as unsettling videos showed soldiers transporting and loading huge missiles. 

Moscow late last year decided to hand several of its nuclear devices to Minsk as relations between the Kremlin and the West continued to nosedive. 

Belarusian Defence Minister Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin said the exercises were a proactive measure to ‘increase our readiness to use so-called retaliatory weapons’.

‘Now, more than ever before, we are determined to respond to any threats posed to both our country and the Union State’ between Russia and Belarus, he said.

He didn’t specify exactly what the drills would entail – but the first phase of exercises last month involved the delivery of tactical nuclear weapons from storage to military units where they will be mounted on missiles and attached to warplanes as missile units practiced covert deployment to firing positions.

It comes as top Russian lawmakers gave new warnings that any F-16 fighter jets provided to Kyiv by the West for combat missions against Russian forces would be legitimate targets for Moscow, even if they are hosted on bases outside Ukraine. 

While Belarus doesn’t own any nuclear weapons, it agreed last year to host Russian tactical warheads on its soil

Putin shakes hands with Lukashenko. The Russian president said last year that Moscow could consider launching strikes at facilities in NATO countries if they host the warplanes used in Ukraine

Top Russian lawmakers gave new warnings that any F-16 fighter jets provided to Kyiv by the West and earmarked for combat missions against Russian forces would be legitimate targets for Moscow, even if stationed abroad (Dutch air force F-16 is seen in action)

(From L) Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and Belgium’s Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder listen as they meet with Belgian F-16 pilots, instructors and technical staff during an inspection visit of Ukraine’s President to Belgium in an agreement to help Kyiv battle Russia’s invasion

In a brief statement reported by state media, Belarus’ defence ministry said this week’s nuclear drills were being held ‘in the interests of guaranteeing our own security’ and were not intended as a threat to other countries.

But the country’s president, known for his bold statements and outspoken nature, has routinely warned European neighbours and Western allies to tread carefully over Ukraine amid a deterioration in communication with Minsk and the Kremlin. 

In April, Lukashenko boasted his nation had taken delivery of ‘several dozen’ Russian nuclear weapons. 

State news agency Belta quoted Lukashenko as saying that the war in Ukraine and rising tensions between East and West required changes to Minsk’s security stance, warning a major confrontation could end in nuclear ‘apocalypse’.

‘Nuclear deterrence – those who will push us towards it should know about it and have a rational look at the straightforward consequences of their ill-considered decisions, to put it mildly,’ Lukashenko said. 

The long-serving Belarusian dictator and Putin confirmed in December that the Kremlin planned to station some nuclear weapons in Belarus for the first time since the Soviet era.

Meanwhile, senior lawmakers in Moscow this morning declared that F-16 jets and military airfields outside Ukraine will become legitimate targets for Moscow if they take part in combat missions against Russian forces.

The warning from Andrei Kartapolov – head of the Russian State Duma lower house of parliament’s defence committee – suggests that Moscow would be willing to strike targets on NATO soil if F-16s were being hosted there, and echoes an earlier declaration made by Putin himself. 

His statement came as a senior Ukrainian military officer said Kyiv may opt to keep some of the F-16 fighter jets abroad in the hope that this would discourage Russia from attacking them.

Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway have committed to providing Ukraine with over 60 US-made F-16 fighter jets to help it fend off Russian attacks, while France has offered a flight of its Mirage fighter jets. 

Ukrainian pilots are currently undergoing training to fly the warplanes ahead of deliveries expected to start in late June or early July. 

File photo. A Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile is launched by Russia in April 2022

Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, right, and Belgium’s Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder, left, pose with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in front of an F-16 at Melsbroek military airport in Brussels, on May 28, 2024

A senior Ukrainian military officer said Kyiv may opt to keep some of the F-16 fighter jets abroad in the hope that this would discourage Russia from attacking them

France is to transfer Mirage-2000 fighter jets to Ukraine and train their Ukrainian pilots as part of a new military cooperation with Kyiv as it fights the Russian invasion, President Emmanuel Macron announced on June 6, 2024

Serhii Holubtsov, head of aviation within Ukraine’s air force, said that ‘a certain number of aircraft will be stored at secure air bases outside of Ukraine so that they are not targeted here.’

Holubtsov told the US government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that those F-16s could be used to replace damaged aircraft as they undergo repairs as well as for training Ukrainian pilots abroad.

‘This way, we can always have a certain number of aircraft in the operational fleet that corresponds to the number of pilots we have,’ he said. 

‘If there are more pilots, there will be more aircraft in Ukraine.’

Putin said last year that Moscow could consider launching strikes at facilities in NATO countries if they host the warplanes used in Ukraine, but this was well before F-16s were close to arriving in the war-torn country. 

The decision to station combat mission F-16s outside Ukraine would ‘pose a serious danger of NATO being further drawn into the conflict’, the Russian President declared. 

‘F-16s are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, and we will also need to take that into account while organising our combat operations,’ Putin stated.

The F-16s require a high standard of runways and reinforced hangars to protect them from attacks on the ground. 

It is not clear how many Ukrainian air bases can meet those requirements, and Russia would be certain to quickly target a few that could accommodate them once the jets arrive.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has boasted his nation now hosts ‘several dozen’ Russian nuclear weapons as relations between Moscow and Europe continue to nosedive 

A F-16 Fighting Falcon combat airplane flies over Ramstein Air Base during a day of fighter plane exercises on June 06, 2024

Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway have committed to providing Ukraine with over 60 US-made F-16 fighter jets to help it fend off Russian attacks, while France has offered a flight of its Mirage fighter jets (pictured) 

Holubtsov noted that the F-16s will help protect front-line and border regions from Russian glide bombs that have inflicted significant damage to both troops and residential areas, including Kharkiv. 

Glide bombs are heavy Soviet-era bombs fitted with precision guidance systems and launched from aircraft flying out of range of air defences.

‘I think we will succeed, first of all, in pushing back the aircraft that drop glide bombs farther from the contact line,’ he said. 

‘If we manage to push them back at least another 20-30 miles, this can already be considered a turning point and an achievement, if not of superiority, then of parity in the airspace.’

While Ukraine waits for the arrival of F-16s, its forces have tried to strike Russia’s own air force while its planes are on the ground. 

This weekend, Ukrainian officials and Russian military bloggers said that a Kyiv drone had successfully struck one of Moscow’s Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jets last week.

The aircraft, codenamed ‘Felon’ by NATO, was sitting on the tarmac at Akhtubinsk military airfield in the Astrakhan region of southern Russia when a drone flew some 365 miles from the frontline, evading Russian air defences and detonating as it impacted the Su-57. 

The strike is yet to be confirmed by official Russian sources, but it is thought to be the first time a new fifth-generation Su-57 has been hit. 

The Felon is Russia’s top of the range fighter mutlirole jet, with only 14 thought to be in operation, though dozens more are on order. 

It is one of few jets thought to be able to mount a challenge on the US-made F-22 raptor, which is widely seen as the most fearsome jet in service today in terms of its manoeuverability and stealth. 

This weekend, Ukrainian officials and Russian military bloggers said that a Kyiv drone had successfully struck one of Moscow’s Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jets last week 

Kyiv’s military said satellite images show that ‘on June 7 (left) the Su-57 is standing intact, and on June 8, (right) ruptures from the explosion and characteristic spots of fire, which arose as a result of fire damage, appeared near it’ 

Ukraine’s Western allies are trying to bolster military support for Kyiv as Russian troops have launched attacks along the more than 620-mile frontline, taking advantage of a lengthy delay in US military aid. 

Ukraine is currently fighting to hold back a Russian push near its second-largest city of Kharkiv, less than 20 miles from the border.

The US and other NATO allies have responded to the latest Russian offensive by allowing Ukraine to use weapons they deliver to Kyiv to carry out limited attacks inside Russia. 

The decision could potentially impede Moscow’s ability to concentrate its troops for a bigger offensive near Kharkiv and in other border areas.

Last week, Putin responded by warning that Moscow ‘reserves the right’ to arm adversaries of the West worldwide.

‘If they supply (weapons) to the combat zone and call for using these weapons against our territory, why don’t we have the right to do the same?’ Putin said.