Kyiv on Sunday said that the Kremlin was holding Minsk as a ” nuclear hostage” after the Russian president announced deployment of tactical nuclear weapons to ally Belarus.
The Defence Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilocv taking to Twitter wrote- “The Kremlin took Belarus as a nuclear hostage.”
AHe added that the move was a “step towards the internal destabilization of the country”.
Lukashenko, who has been in power in Belarus for 30 years is a key ally to Putin. Putin on Saturday announced a mutual agreement with the Belarus Supremo to station tactical nuclear weapons in his territory.
Meanwhile, the Kyiv court updated information on Russian artillery destruction. As per Russian forces 15 tanks had been taken out of action in a single day, alongside a further 15 armored personnel vehicles. Eight Russian artillery systems and two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, had also been destroyed in the previous 24 hours, according to Ukraine’s military.
By Kyiv’s count, Sunday’s update brings Russia’s total tank losses to 3,595. Ukraine’s military has repeatedly shared footage online of Russian tanks being targeted, and many Western analysts say Russia has sustained heavy tank losses at Ukraine’s hands over the course of the war.