SERGEI KARPUKHIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
KEY POINTS
- Patrushev said Russia ‘does not intimidate anyone with its military advantage’
- His remarks come after Putin announced plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus
- The storage facility in Belarus is expected to be completed by July
An ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday boasted that Moscow has weapons with the ability to destroy its enemies, including the United States.
Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, also said that Moscow is “patient” but warned that it will respond in an event of a “threat to its existence.”
“For some reason, American politicians who are held captive by their own propaganda remain confident that in the event of a direct conflict with Russia, the United States is capable of launching a preventive missile strike, after which Russia will no longer be able to respond. This is short-sighted stupidity, and very dangerous,” Patrushev said in an interview with the state newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta, as translated via Google Translate.
“Forgetting the lessons of history, some in the West are already talking about revenge, which will lead to a military victory over Russia. To this, we can say one thing. Russia is patient and does not intimidate anyone with its military advantage. But it has modern unique weapons capable of destroying any enemy, including the United States, in case of a threat to its existence,” he added.
Patrushev’s remarks come after Putin on Saturday announced plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus, marking the first time Moscow will base such weapons outside the country since the mid-1990s.
The Russian president said the move had been triggered by the United Kingdom’s decision to provide Ukraine with armor-piercing ammunition rounds that contain depleted uranium. He also argued that Russia is only following the U.S., which has nuclear weapons based in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.
Putin did not specify how many tactical nuclear weapons Russia plans to keep in Belarus. Members of the Russian army are set to start training on how to operate the weapons next week. The storage facility in Belarus is also expected to be completed by July.
Belarus is among Russia’s closest allies in its war. While Belarus has yet to send its own troops to help Moscow’s army in the war, it did serve as a launching pad for Russia’s invasion in February 2022 and allowed Putin’s army to enter Ukraine from the north.
