A New York Times analysis shows security upgrades unique to Russian nuclear storage facilities at a Cold War-era munitions depot.

Russia already has nuclear warheads on its own soil that are close to Ukraine and NATO countries, but by basing some in Belarus, the Kremlin appears to be trying to accentuate its nuclear threat and bolster its nuclear deterrent.

Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, made reference to such a site early last year, saying Russia would soon be completing the construction of “special storage for tactical nuclear weapons” in Belarus.

The New York Times analyzed satellite imagery and photos, and spoke with nuclear weapons and arms control experts, to track the new construction, which started in March 2023.

The site is 120 miles north of the Ukrainian border at a military depot next to the town of Asipovichy. Some of the recently built structures there have features that are unique to nuclear storage facilities at bases inside Russia. For example, a new, highly secure area is surrounded by three layers of fencing, in addition to the existing security perimeter of the entire base. Another telltale sign is a covered loading area connected to what appears to be a concealed Soviet-era underground bunker.

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  • breakfastmtn@lemmy.caOPEnglish
    21·
    6 months ago

    A U.S. State Department spokesperson would not say if the United States was monitoring any particular site in Belarus, but said the department is keeping a close eye on the situation in order “to ensure Russia maintains control of its weapons in the event of any deployment to Belarus and upholds its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.” An April 2024 State Department report said that the U.S. would not change its nuclear posture in response to the developments in Belarus.

    What in the article makes you think that governments don’t know about this? I’d gamble that there’s about a 0% chance that this is news to military intelligence.

    • DarkThoughts@fedia.io
      212·
      6 months ago

      What in the article makes you think that governments don’t know about this?

      What about my comment makes you think that I thought that?

      • BradleyUffner@lemmy.worldEnglish
        6·
        6 months ago

        You suggested that they should have given this info to the government instead of publishing it. That implies you thought the government didn’t know about it.

        • DarkThoughts@fedia.io
          04·
          6 months ago

          It implies that there’s no way for us to know for sure but that we should rather inform governments instead of the public about those kind of information.

          • pufferfischerpulver@feddit.deEnglish
            2·
            6 months ago

            Well now the government knows? That’s assuming they didn’t know and / or haven’t been informed ahead of publication. I don’t see where the danger in having this information available publicly is?