Vladimir Putin is moving nuclear missiles closer to Britain by placing them on the European Union’s border, Belarus’s exiled opposition leader has warned.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said Belarus was helping Russia to “escalate its war in Ukraine” and told Europe to “pay more attention to what is happening” in the territory.
Alexander Lukashenko, President Putin’s main ally in Europe, was accused of facilitating the Russian leader’s aggression in Ukraine by allowing him to intensify Russia’s military presence in the country.
Tsikhanouskaya told The Telegraph: “We see how on Belarusian territory, Mr Lukashenko’s regime intensifies the presence of Russia. They are about to deploy nuclear weapons, Russian missiles.”
Belarus is a significant contributor to the Russian military-industrial complex, with estimates of about 300 Belarusian enterprises aiding Moscow’s production efforts, including drone construction.
“So it looks like they’re preparing for escalation,” Ms Tsikhanouskaya added.
She also claimed Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, was aware of the risk “because this escalation might affect not only Ukraine, but also European countries”.
Ms Tsikhanouskaya added: “We have to put more attention on what is happening in Belarus.”
In December, Russia’s ministry of defence released footage purportedly showing its military deploying a nuclear-capable missile system at an airbase in eastern Belarus.
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