Belarus hosts a Russian-backed nuclear program including a civilian reactor project near Astravyets and talks of deploying Russian tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil with Russia retaining control over warheads. Belarus has pursued nonproliferation and safety efforts while facing international scrutiny and concerns about regional security implications. ICAN reports on weapon deployment and control arrangements NTI overview summarizes Belarus' nuclear activities.
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Unit 1 of Belarus's first nuclear power plant was connected to the grid in November 2020. A second VVER-1200 unit was connected to the grid in May 2023 and a third is proposed.
world-nuclear.orgThe Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor measures progress related to signature, adherence, entry into force, and universalisation of the Treaty on the Prohibition…
banmonitor.orgBelarus has a small civilian nuclear research program under the aegis of the Belarusian National Academy of Sciences. In cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, there are ongoing efforts as part of the Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) to convert a booster subcritical assembly, housed at the Sosny facility near Minsk, from highly enriched uranium (HEU) to low enriched uranium (LEU) fuel. … Belarus has one nuclear power plant currently under construction in Astravyets District...
www.nti.orgVladimir Putin said in an interview on March 25, 2023 that Russia intended to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus. At the same time, information about the completion of the construction of a storage facility for nuclear warheads in Belarus was announced. In 2023, Russia immediately and officially began deploying tactical nuclear weapons (TNWs) on the territory of Belarus. The Chinese Foreign Ministry reacted to the Kremlin's plans and opposed the deployment of Russian...
www.icanw.orgOverview of Belarus’ nuclear, chemical, biological, and missile capabilities and nonproliferation activities
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