Officials from the Defense Intelligence Agency said they had “no reason to doubt” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims last month of transferring a first wave of nuclear weapons to Belarus.
Putin originally announced his plans in March to deliver a nuclear-capable Iskander-M missile system to its ally Belarus by July, and senior DIA officials told reporters on Friday “that they have had some success” in transferring the weapons, according to CNN.
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The DIA officials did not clarify the reasoning behind why they believe Putin’s plans were partially successful, but they noted that the weapons are difficult to track despite satellite imagery.
“The first nuclear warheads have been delivered to Belarusian territory,” Putin said. His comments came at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in mid-June, claiming they will serve as a deterrent. “This is the first batch. We will complete this work by the end of this year.”
Russia’s nuclear arsenal currently holds around 4,477 warheads. The United States and Russia hold approximately 89% of the world’s total inventory of nuclear weapons, according to the Federation of American Scientists.
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On Friday, Putin issued a warning to Poland, a NATO member, over potential territorial goals in Belarus. Putin said any attacks on Belarus would be taken as an attack on Russia.
The Russian president said he’d use “all means at its disposal” to defend Belarus despite Poland’s denial of seeking territory in the former Soviet Union.
