Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

Belarus’ Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it had decided to host Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons reportedly because of NATO’s “coercive measures” and “the build-up of military potential” in neighboring countries.

“Unilateral coercive measures in politics and the economy are accompanied by the build-up of military potential in the territory of neighboring countries — NATO members in close proximity to our border,” Belarus’ Foreign Ministry said in a statement, reported by Russian news agency Tass.

“Considering these circumstances and the legitimate concerns and risks in the field of national security arising from them, Belarus is taking forced response actions to strengthen its own security and defense capability,” the ministry said.

Russia’s ally Belarus is seen as something of a bulwark for Moscow against NATO, given that it borders Poland, Lithuania and Latvia — all NATO members — and Ukraine to the south, and Russia to the east.

Over the weekend, Russia announced that it would locate tactical nuclear weapons (designed for use on the battlefield rather than mass wholescale destruction) within Belarus, saying President Alexander Lukashenko had made the suggestion to do so.

Minsk and Moscow both insisted the plans would not contravene international non-proliferation agreements, saying the U.S. already did the same thing with its allies and that Belarus would not have control over the weapons.

NATO criticized Russia’s nuclear rhetoric, calling it “dangerous and irresponsible.”

— Holly Ellyatt

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday that British Challenger 2 battle tanks have arrived in the country.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Twitter that the tanks had arrived in the country but did not specify when. The tweet included a video of Reznikov trying out one of the tanks.

“It was a pleasure to take the first Ukrainian Challenger 2 MBT for a spin. Such tanks, supplied by the United Kingdom, have recently arrived in our country,” Reznikov wrote.

The U.K. was the first country to agree to send battle tanks to Ukraine, before Germany and the U.S. decided in January to send their own heavy tanks. The first shipment of German-made Leopard 2 tanks arrived in Ukraine Tuesday, Berlin’s Defense Ministry said.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russia’s Pacific Fleet fired cruise missiles at a mock target in the Sea of Japan, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

In a post on Telegram, the ministry said two of its ships were involved in the exercise that saw it fire Moskit cruise missiles — supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles — at a “mock enemy” target at sea.

“The target, located at a distance of about 100 kilometers [62.1 miles], was successfully hit by a direct hit from two Moskit cruise missiles,” the ministry claimed, saying the combat exercise was carried out safely. It did not state which ships had taken part in the exercise.

Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Tokyo will stay vigilant against Moscow’s military operations, Reuters reported. He added that no damage was reported after the missile launches.

“As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, Russian forces are also becoming more active in the Far East, including Japan’s vicinities,” Hayashi told a regular press conference, the news agency said.

When asked about Russia’s plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Hayashi said Japan condemned the move and demanded Russia and Belarus stop “such an action that would further increase tensions.”

— Holly Ellyatt

The first shipment of German Leopard 2 tanks, much-awaited by Ukraine, has arrived in the war-torn country, Germany’s defense ministry said Tuesday.

Eighteen of the tanks, ammunition and spare parts, as well as two “Buffalo” armored recovery vehicles arrived in Ukraine, the ministry said in a statement. In addition, 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles have also reached Ukraine.

“As promised, our tanks arrived on time in the hands of our Ukrainian friends. I am sure that they can do something important at the front,” Defense Minister Boris Pistorius commented, adding that “Germany even delivered four more tanks than initially planned. You can rely on us.”

The ministry said that Leopard 1 A5 tanks will also be delivered to Ukraine in the near future but that those are currently being repaired by German industry, with the repair financed by Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. 

The aim is to have the first 25 tanks available by summer, around 80 by the end of the year and to increase to at least 100 Leopard 1 A5s over the course of 2024, the ministry said.

The Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces, has spent the last two months training Ukrainian soldiers on the weapon systems at a site near Munster, Germany. Nonetheless, Berlin has been singled out for criticism during the war, accused of not doing enough to help Ukraine, and of being slow to decide on giving Kyiv heavy battle tanks.

On the heels of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s decision in January to provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks, the Biden administration announced it will equip Ukraine with the mighty M1A1 Abrams tank.

The 31 M1A1 Abrams tanks will expand on the more than $27 billion the U.S. has committed to Kyiv’s fight since Russia invaded more than a year ago.

— Holly Ellyatt, Amanda Macias

A view of Ukrainian soldiers of the 80th Brigade on the front line near Bakhmut as the war with Russia drags on:

— Diego Herrera Carcedo | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

The White House said that it has not seen evidence that the Kremlin plans to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent that Russia would deploy “tactical nuclear weapons” to Belarus.

“We are continuing to monitor this very, very closely,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on a conference call. He added that so far, the U.S. has not seen reason to change its own nuclear posture.

Earlier this month, U.S. intelligence chiefs warned that Putin is likely to further upgrade the Kremlin’s arsenal of long-range nuclear-capable missiles in order to deter Kyiv and its powerful Western allies.

“Heavy losses to its ground forces and the large-scale expenditures of precision-guided munitions during the conflict have degraded Moscow’s ground and air-based conventional capabilities and increased its reliance on nuclear weapons,” the intelligence community wrote in an unclassified 35-page intelligence assessment.

— Amanda Macias

Officials from Poland and the European Union discussed artillery munitions manufacturing as part of a new, 2 billion euro ($2.2 billion) program to supply Ukraine in its war against invading Russian forces and to replenish Europe’s dwindling stocks.

EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton visited DEZAMET S.A. munition plant in Nowa Deba, in southeast Poland, accompanied by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak.

The visit came just days after Brussels announced a program to reimburse countries offering artillery ammunition to Ukraine from a 1 billion euro ($1.1 billion) fund. The program also aims to spend an equal amount on increasing production in 11 countries with such manufacturing capacity.

Breton said the EU is “determined” to quickly do what is needed in light of a conflict that’s expected to drag on. He also encouraged other EU countries to transfer ammunition to Ukraine as soon as possible.

— Associated Press

At least two people died and 25 were injured following Russian shelling on the city of Sloviansk in Donetsk.

Administrative office buildings, a high-rise building and seven residences were destroyed by S-300 rockets, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, said on Telegram.

He said a rescue operation was ongoing.

— Amanda Macias

Intense attacks on the eastern Donetsk town of Avdiivka and the damage they’ve caused prompted a Ukrainian official to liken the destruction to what you would see in a “post-apocalyptic” movie.

Utility workers were evacuated from Avdiivka, a town just over 50 miles southwest of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, as fighting intensified at the weekend.

“Avdiivka is becoming more and more like a site from post-apocalyptic movies … Therefore, a difficult decision was made to evacuate the rest of our heroes — utility workers who at least tried to keep the city clean and livable,” Vitaliy Barabash, head of the Avdiivka City Military Administration, said on Telegram Sunday.

Barabash told any remaining residents to leave the town while they were still able to, saying: “so now I do not ask, I strongly recommend leaving Avdiivka, because Russian rockets and projectiles do not spare anyone or anything, no matter what views you hold,” he said.

Ukrainian military officials have already warned that the town could be a “second Bakhmut,” where there has been heavy fighting for over seven months.

On Monday, Ukraine’s general staff said Russia was concentrating its offensives around Lyman, Bakhmut and Avdiivka and two other settlements, and added that its forces had repelled more than 60 attacks in the past 24 hours along the eastern front.

— Holly Ellyatt

NATO and Ukraine’s Western allies have expressed dismay at Russia’s announcement at the weekend that it will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the move on Saturday, saying a deal had been struck with his ally Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a leader who is seen as subservient to Moscow.

Putin claimed Lukashenko had long asked for the weapons to be stationed in Belarus, a country that borders NATO member Poland.

The Russian president said 10 aircraft that are capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons had already been moved to Belarus and that the construction of storage facilities for the weapons in Belarus would be completed by July 1. 

A spokesperson for the Western military alliance NATO responded to the move by branding “Russia’s nuclear rhetoric” as “dangerous and irresponsible,” while the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged Belarus not to host Russian nuclear weapons, commenting on Twitter that “Belarus hosting Russian nuclear weapons would mean an irresponsible escalation and threat to European security.” Borrell also warned of sanctions against Minsk.

A senior Ukrainian official, meanwhile, said the Kremlin had taken “Belarus as a nuclear hostage” and is looking to destabilize Belarus with the deal.

Defense experts and academics argue over the term, but “tactical” nuclear weapons generally refer to weapons designed to be used on the battlefield for specific tactical gains, rather than for the all-out destruction of larger targets like cities.

In announcing the move, Putin insisted the plan did not violate non-proliferation agreements as the weapons would be under Russian control.

“There is nothing unusual here either: firstly, the United States has been doing this for decades. They have long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allied countries,” Putin said.

“We agreed that we will do the same -— without violating our obligations, I emphasize, without violating our international obligations on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons.”

— Holly Ellyatt