"Putin's Claim of Deploying Tactical Nukes in Belarus Is True"

CNN Cites DIA Senior Officials in Report

U.S. military intelligence authorities are reportedly assessing as true Russian President Vladimir Putin's claim that Russia has relocated tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, according to U.S. media.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 21st (local time), according to CNN, senior officials from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) under the U.S. Department of Defense met with a small group of journalists and said there is "no reason to doubt" Putin's claim that tactical nuclear weapons have been moved to Belarus.

President Putin announced last month at the International Economic Forum held in Saint Petersburg, Russia, that Russian nuclear warheads had been deployed on Belarusian territory.

CNN explained that the DIA will not disclose the basis for its assessment that Russia has deployed tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, and that U.S. intelligence authorities acknowledge the difficulty of tracking weapons through satellite imagery.

Ben Wallace, the UK Secretary of State for Defence, told CNN last week that signs of Russia moving weapons had been detected, adding, "Putin is not always lying."

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko stated last month that if his country were attacked, it could use Russian tactical nuclear weapons located on its territory. DIA senior officials do not believe Lukashenko has control over these weapons, saying it is "highly likely that Russia retains full control."

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