Belarus Lukashenko threatens nuclear weapons and a third world war

The ruler of the former Soviet republic of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has accused NATO of planning an attack on his country and threatened to use nuclear weapons. "An attack on Belarus means World War III", said the Belarusian head of state during an appearance in front of students in Minsk, according to the state news agency Belta.

Both Belarus and its ally Russia would use nuclear weapons in this case. In this context, Lukashenko thanked Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin for the recent change in Russian nuclear doctrine.

During his speech at the State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, Lukashenko claimed that NATO had concrete plans to attack Belarus. "Americans and Poles have already positioned themselves along the border, especially the Polish one. We know that the Polish leadership is already rubbing its hands together," he said. They are prepared for the eventuality and will react immediately. As NATO could respond to the use of nuclear weapons with its own nuclear strikes, Russia would deploy its entire arsenal. The West is not prepared for such an escalation, Lukashenko explained.

Lukashenko is not the master of nuclear weapons

Belarus is not a nuclear power itself, but tactical nuclear weapons from Russia have been stationed on its territory since the end of 2023. In April, Lukashenko spoke of several dozen nuclear warheads. Belarus also received Russian Iskander missiles, which can be equipped with nuclear weapons. Su-25 fighter jets were also converted into carrier weapons. While Moscow claims command over the nuclear weapons stationed in Belarus, Lukashenko has already had the use of nuclear weapons included in his country's military doctrine.

Two days ago, Putin declared that Russia had adapted its military doctrine to the international security situation. Russia's list of military threats against which nuclear weapons can be used as a deterrent has been expanded, the 71-year-old said at a meeting of the National Security Council in Moscow.

The change is seen as a reaction to the debate about the release of far-reaching weapons to Ukraine in its defense against Russia's war of aggression. The new doctrine increases the risk, particularly for Western nuclear powers such as the USA and France, of becoming the target of a Russian counter-attack if they support non-nuclear countries such as Ukraine in an aggression against Russia.