The war in Ukraine has raised the nuclear threat level to its highest since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis following the announcement of President Vladimir Putin that Russia will be stationingits tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of neighbouring Belarus.
Putin then went on to assert that the move would not violate the nuclear non-proliferation agreement saying that even US has stationed weapons across Europe, Russian state media reported.
This will be the first time since the mid-1990s that Moscow will have based nuclear arms outside the country.
Since last year, several countries have voiced concerns over the potential use of nuclear weapons by Russia in the ongoing Ukrainian war.
Though there has been occasional rhetoric about the possible use of nukes, Russia has never explicitly implied that it will be using nuclear ammunition in its war against Ukraine.
However, Saturday’s announcement made it clear that it won’t be shying away from using “tactical nuclear” weapons, and not the strategic (or full fuelled) nuclear bombs, if there is any threat to its sovereignty.
What are ‘tactical’ nuclear weapons?
According to experts, tactical or non-strategic nuclear weapons are used for specific tactical gains on the battlefield, rather than, destroying the biggest cities or causing widespread devastation.
They generally have small explosive power and are defined in contrast to strategic nuclear weapons, which are designed mostly to be targeted at the enemy interior far away from the war front against military bases, cities, towns, arms industries to damage the enemy’s ability to wage war.
So far, no tactical nuclear weapon has ever been used in a combat situation.
The tactical nuclear weapons can be one kiloton or less (producing the equivalent to a thousand tonnes of the explosive TNT). The largest ones can be as big as 100 kilotons.
For comparison, the atomic bomb dropped by US on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945 was 15 kilotons.
These tactical weapons were developed early during the Cold War era as method of deterrence. Apart from Russia, US and its European allies have these weapons as part of their “flexible response” to any threat from Russia and its allies.
How many tactical weapons does Russia have?
Limited information is available to know exactly how many tactical nuclear weapons Russia has because it is an area still shrouded in traditions of Cold War secrecy.
However, US intelligence pegs Russia’s number to about 2,000.
On other hand, the United States has around 200 such weapons, half of which are stationed at bases in Europe. These 12-ft B61 nuclear bombs, with different yields of 0.3 to 170 kilotons, are deployed at six air bases across Italy, Germany, Turkey, Belgium and the Netherlands, according to Reuters news agency.
Tactical nuclear warheads can be placed on various types of missiles which are normally used to deliver conventional explosives, such as cruise missiles and artillery shells.
They can also be fired from aircraft and ships as anti-ship missiles, torpedoes and depth charges.
The US claims that Russia has recently been investing heavily in these weapons to improve their range and accuracy.
The United States has cautiously reacted to the news saying that the world faces the gravest nuclear danger since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, citing the remarks made by Putin during the Ukraine conflict.
However, Moscow says that his remarks have been taken out of context.
Kyiv and its Western allies fear tactical nuclear weapons could be used in battle after Putin and others warned Russia was prepared to use all its vast arsenal in defence.
Stationing nuclear weapons
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the US made strident efforts to return the Soviet nuclear weapons stationed in Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan to Russia – which inherited the nuclear arsenal of the Soviet Union.
Since the weapons were returned in the early 1990s, Russia has not announced any nuclear weapon deployments outside its borders.
According to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which was signed by the Soviet Union, no nuclear power can transfer nuclear weapons or technology to a non-nuclear power. But it does allow for the weapons to be deployed outside its borders but under its control – as with US nuclear weapons in Europe.
Who can order the launch of nuclear weapons?
As with other countries, the head of the state is the ultimate decision-maker. In Russia, President Vladimir Putin wields the power when it comes to ordering the use of Russian nuclear weapons, both strategic and non-strategic, according to its nuclear doctrine.
These weapons are stored in at least 30 military bases and silos under the control of the 12th Main Directorate of the defence ministry (12th GUMO) headed by Igor Kolesnikov, who reports directly to the defence minister.
In order to launch a strategic nuclear weapon strike, Putin would have to consult with senior allies from the Russian Security Council before ordering, via the general staff, that a warhead be joined with a delivery vehicle and prepared for a potential launch order.
Since Putin cannot predict the US response, Russia’s entire nuclear posture would change: submarines would go to sea, missile forces would be put on full alert and strategic bombers would be visible at bases, ready for immediate take-off.
(With inputs from agencies)
