Belarus' Nuclear Arsenal: Examining Its Icbm Stockpiles

Belarus has no weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and does not possess any intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Belarus inherited a nuclear weapons infrastructure and 81 road-mobile SS-25 ICBMs, which were stationed at three missile bases. However, as a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), Belarus transferred all of its nuclear weapons to Russia by 1996 and became a non-nuclear weapons state. Belarus has also ratified the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), and it does not possess any biological or chemical warfare programs. While Belarus has a small civilian nuclear research program, it does not have any major missile production or design facilities.

Belarus has no weapons of mass destruction

Belarus gained independence in December 1991, and at that time, there were 81 road-mobile SS-25s on its territory stationed at three missile bases, as well as an unknown number of tactical nuclear weapons. During the 1980s, several units equipped with intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) were also stationed in the Belarusian SSR. However, all of these weapons were eliminated under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty by 1991.

Following Minsk's ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) in February 1993 and its accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as a non-nuclear weapon state in July 1993, Belarus transferred all of its nuclear weapons to Russia. This process was completed by November 1996. Since then, no nuclear forces have been stationed in Belarus. Belarus has also concluded an IAEA safeguards agreement and is a signatory to several other voluntary agreements, including the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism.

Belarus has a small civilian nuclear research program under the Belarusian National Academy of Sciences. In cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, there are ongoing efforts to convert a booster subcritical assembly at the Sosny facility near Minsk from highly enriched uranium (HEU) to low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel as part of the Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI). Belarus has also been working with the United States to return its HEU to Russia, although this cooperation has been suspended since 2011 due to economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. in response to the Belarusian government's violent suppression of political opponents under President Lukashenko's regime.

Belarus does not have a biological warfare (BW) program and has no plans to establish one in the future. It is a signatory to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), which it ratified in 1975. Belarus also does not have a chemical warfare (CW) program and is a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which it ratified in 1996.

While Belarus did inherit some ICBM launch positions from the Soviet Union, the dismantlement of these positions was ceased in 1997 after a chill in U.S.-Belarusian relations. However, several Belarusian firms continue to cooperate with Russian missile and space enterprises, and the country has a joint missile defense system with Russia. Belarus employs Russian-built air defense systems and has produced and exported upgrades, repairs, and refurbishments of Soviet-designed short-range surface-to-air missile systems.

In 2023, the president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, announced that his country had started taking delivery of Russian tactical nuclear weapons, including bombs three times more powerful than those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This marked the first time that Russia had deployed its nuclear weapons on another state's territory since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

It transferred all nuclear warheads to Russia in the 1990s

Belarus does not possess any intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) or weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). In the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Belarus transferred all of its nuclear warheads to Russia. This transfer was completed by November 1996, and no nuclear forces have been stationed in Belarus since.

When Belarus gained independence in December 1991, there were 81 road-mobile SS-25s on its territory, stationed at three missile bases, as well as an unknown number of tactical nuclear weapons. During the 1980s, several units equipped with intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) were also stationed in the Belarusian SSR. However, all of these weapons were eliminated under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty by 1991.

Following Minsk's ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) in February 1993 and its accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as a non-nuclear weapon state in July 1993, Belarus began the process of transferring its nuclear weapons to Russia. This process was completed by November 1996, and there have been no nuclear forces stationed in Belarus since.

While Belarus has no nuclear weapons of its own, it has a small civilian nuclear research program under the Belarusian National Academy of Sciences. This program includes efforts to convert a booster subcritical assembly, housed at the Sosny facility near Minsk, from highly enriched uranium (HEU) to low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel. The United States has offered financial and technical assistance with this process.

In recent years, there have been concerns about the potential deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus. In 2023, Russia and Belarus reached an agreement to allow the deployment of Russian nuclear warheads on Belarusian territory, drawing condemnation from the European Union. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has stated that this move is intended to deter aggression from Poland, a NATO member on Belarus's western border. Western officials have confirmed the presence of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, but some experts argue that this does not significantly change the nature of Russia's military threats to NATO.

Belarus amended its constitution in 2022 to allow Russia to deploy nuclear weapons on its territory

Belarus does not have any intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). In fact, Belarus has no weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and is not known to possess any biological or chemical warfare programs.

However, Belarus did inherit a nuclear weapons infrastructure following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. At that time, there were 81 road-mobile SS-25s on its territory, along with an unknown number of tactical nuclear weapons. Belarus also had intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) stationed within its borders during the 1980s.

In the 1990s, Belarus transferred all of its nuclear weapons to Russia and became a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 1994, agreeing never to acquire nuclear weapons. This transfer was completed by November 1996, and no nuclear forces have been stationed in Belarus since.

Despite this, in February 2022, Belarus amended its constitution, removing its commitment to maintaining a nuclear-free status. This change was made after a referendum that was not recognised as legitimate by the Belarusian opposition or the West. The European Union and the United States dismissed the referendum as bogus and criticised the context of human rights violations and repression of Belarusian society.

Following the constitutional amendment, Russia deployed a shipment of nuclear weapons to Belarus at the end of 2023. This included Iskander-M missiles, which can carry nuclear warheads, and Su-25 jets that have been converted for possible nuclear weapons use.

The deployment of nuclear weapons to Belarus has been widely criticised as a violation of international agreements, such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, as well as Belarus' own constitution prior to the 2022 amendment.

Belarus has a small civilian nuclear research program

The Research Institute for Nuclear Problems of Belarusian State University (INP BSU) is a research institute in Minsk, Belarus, that was founded in 1986 by a decree of the USSR government. The institute's main fields of research are nuclear physics, particle physics, materials science, and nanotechnology.

Belarus has one nuclear power plant at Ostrovets, with two units connected to the grid in November 2020 and May 2023, respectively. The project is financed by Russia, and the reactors were built by Atomstroyexport. The Ostrovets nuclear plant is expected to reduce Belarus's gas imports, which cost about $2.3 billion in 2020.

In addition to the Ostrovets plant, Belarus has explored the possibility of building a domestic nuclear power plant using Russian technology or participating in a new nuclear unit in Russia. In 2011, Russia's Gazprom agreed to pay $2.5 billion for 50% of Belarus' gas transmission network, Beltransgaz, linking this to lower gas prices and Russian financing for the nuclear plant.

Belarus has also signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with China, which includes nuclear power, joint development of innovative reactor technologies, nuclear safety, and environmental protection. This agreement created a legal basis for Chinese participation in nuclear power plant construction in Belarus.

Belarus has a joint missile defense system with Russia

Belarus does not possess any weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). In the 1990s, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Belarus transferred all of its nuclear warheads to Russia. It has no chemical or biological warfare programs and does not possess any major ballistic missile production or design facilities.

However, Belarus has a joint missile defense system with Russia, which has been in place since 2016. Belarus employs Russian-built air defense systems, including the S-300 (SA-10 'Grumble') and the Tor-M2 (SA-15 'Gauntlet'). In 2023, Belarus's defense ministry announced that joint Russian-Belarusian air defense forces had been reinforced, with new missile units moved into position. Belarus is a close ally of Russia and has allowed Russia to use its territory as a launchpad for military invasions.

In addition to its joint missile defense system with Russia, Belarus has also been developing its own missile systems and combat drones. Roman Golovchenko, the chairman of the Belarusian State Military Industrial Committee, has stated that conflicts and tensions between superpowers are on the rise, and that Belarus is ready to satisfy the demand for defensive weapons. Belarus has developed the Polonez multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS) and has plans to further develop this sphere.

Belarus is a member of the Russia-backed Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which serves as a counterbalance to NATO. However, Minsk also seeks to develop military cooperation with countries outside the organization to assert its independence from Moscow. For example, Belarus has agreed to supply Mikoyan MiG-29 fighters to Serbia, a non-member observer state of the CSTO. Additionally, Belarus has announced projects to jointly produce drones with countries like China and Turkmenistan.

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