In response to US sanctions, Belarus threatened to regain their nuclear status. And on the same day, Sergei Shoigu announced the creation of a Russian air base in Belarus. It is possible that the aircraft of the Russian Federation and are carriers of nuclear missiles. Looks like we are returning to a full-scale cold war.
Belarus threatened the West possible way out of the Nuclear Weapon Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). According to official Minsk, USA and the United Kingdom, applying economic sanctions against Belarus, violated their obligations towards the country. Therefore, in Minsk can stop following these conditions. At least, at least, said the Belarusian delegation in Geneva at the second session of the NPT Review Conference Committee.
The Belarusian side stressed that it is very important for her to work trilateral security guarantees provided in accordance with the Budapest 1994 Memorandum in connection with the voluntary refusal of Belarus from the right to have nuclear weapons. "Three States of Great Britain, Russia and the United States, have committed themselves to respect the independence and sovereignty of Belarus, including not to apply economic coercion measures," the Belarusian delegates emphasized. And since there are sanctions, it means that Western partners encroach on the independence of Belarus.
"There is a reasonable question, why, despite the fixed and repeatedly confirmed obligations, some nuclear powers in practice ignore them, continuing to apply economic and political pressure measures. The measures taken by Great Britain and the United States regarding Belarus, the measures of economic coercion in the form of sanctions must be canceled. Budapest Memorandum In November 2012, registered with the UN as international Treaty. Violation of adopted legal obligations is an invalid norm of behavior of states in terms of international law"," Stressed the Belarusian side.
Irritation of the official Minsk is understandable. The US and the EU applies a whole range of political and economic sanctions to Belarus. Currently, the "black list" of the EU includes 243 individuals and 32 companies supporting the "Lukashenko regime". The number of US blacklisted in the Black List is unknown, but maybe it is even more. We are talking about budget-forming communities - such as "BelSPETSExport", Beneftekhim, Belaruskali. They implement their products mainly in far abroad. It means that sanctions are a direct blow to the country's budget.
Along the way, Belarus has reached a new one - almost Soviet is the level of military integration with Russia. In May, the Allies will hold large-scale exercises "West-2013", where they will work out a possible nuclear strike in Warsaw. The exercises will be in close proximity to polish borders. In addition, Russia first announced that he plans to constantly deploy their airlocks with fighters in Belarus. As Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu told, the beginning of work on this project has been scheduled for this year: Moscow will place the aircraft commandant from the neighbors and put the first on-duty link of combat fighters. "We assume and further consider the issues necessary to strengthen the defense capability of our Belarusian colleagues and brothers," said Shoigu.
Director of the Minsk Center for European Integration Problems Yuri Shevtsov believes that for the Belarusian foreign Policy The event happened icon. "To overpays a whole air file to Belarus in less than two years - it is very quickly. And this reflects the high degree of military alarm with regard to NATO or individual countries of NATO. Polish games in greatness for Poland have always ended badly," the expert explains. And adds: "It is unlikely that opposition to the Polish activity regarding Belarus will be limited to one Russian airline. At a minimum, the saturation of the Belarusian army with new weapons and technology will now go faster. And if it comes to accommodation in the Belarusian nuclear weapons in the case of collapse of the Budapest Memorandum system, then the militarization of the region will increase in order. "
Of course, such activity from the official Minsk will inevitably affect the eastern borders of the EU. Poland and Lithuania will begin rapidly increase military spending. And if for Poland they are unlikely to become too strong economic burden, then for Lithuania, geopolitical changes will definitely mean additional problems in the conclusion of the country from the economic crisis. Shevtsov also believes that Russia will strengthen the pressure on Lithuania - both economic and informational. "The EU does not compensate for Lithuania these losses. Wars between Russia and NATO will still not be, but, here, losses from the current Polish activity in the East for Lithuania can be quite serious," the political scientist will summarize.
Experts consider it quite likely that the threats of Belarusians will not be empty air shaking, and that the country will respond to sanctions from the Budapest Memorandum. "The United States has actually already come out of it. Recently there was a statement, it seems, the US Embassy in Belarus that the United States does not consider this memorandum as a mandatory document," Shevtsim comments.
All this means that Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, are about to get a legal basis to return to their nuclear status. And in the end, someone who, and Belarus will definitely expect to accommodate the Russian nuclear weapons on their territory. Moreover, the Belarusian government already has about 2.5 tons of nuclear materials, some of which has a high degree of enrichment, sufficient, for example, for the rapid production of a "dirty" atomic "bomb".
In addition, "a number of threshold countries will receive an additional impetus to the creation of nuclear weapons, because We will see the unreliability of security guarantees by the United States. Most likely, the first of these countries will officially try to become Iran, "describes more distant consequences of these changes to Shevtsov.
All this is undoubtedly on Lukashenko's hand. Program author nuclear disarmament Belarus Stanislav Shushkevich says that "Lukashenko will soon begin to blackmail the United States with a return to the nuclear status." It will be done in order to achieve relief from the Belarusian sanctions. And to return to him, Batka may every time he does not like something in the behavior of NATO member countries. Will Lukashenko get nuclear weaponI have long been dreaming about, in the next few years will depend only on Russia.
The United States will obviously have to react to it somehow. An attempt to pacify the incomplete Lukashenko may turn into new conflicts for NATO member countries. What is particularly unsafe against the background of the growing military relics of China and the embittered rhetoric addressed to the West by Russia.
Maxim Swiss
ALL PHOTOS
Russia is ready to accommodate nuclear weapons in Belarus, said Alexander Surikov Ambassador to Minsk. Moscow unveiled a new version of asymmetric response to US plans to place elements of the pro system in Eastern Europe. In Minsk, they do not mind this. However, the fate of new objects of the Russian Federation in Belarus risks the hostage of constant conflicts between Moscow and Minsk around the supply of Russian gas, Kommersant writes.
Surikov, in particular, said: "In response to Washington plans, Russia and Belarus may decide to create new joint military facilities, including nuclear. Of course, all this will occur at a certain level of mutual trust and integration." At the Russian Embassy in Minsk, they explained: "The ambassador said exactly about the threat from the American Pro, which the United States intends to accommodate in Poland and the Czech Republic. And in general, this statement must be considered in the context of Putin's presidential statements about the possibility of an asymmetric response to these unfriendly initiatives of Washington."
In addition, Surikov stressed that Russia did not refuse the idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a unified air defense system with Belorussia. "Everything was ready for signing at the end of last year. Only the signed with the Belarusian side did not have authority. And these powers do not appear in any way," the Russian ambassador explained. We understand that the situation so happened that the Belarusian side thinks. The position of the Russian side has not changed, "the ambassador noted." I think this topic is waiting for the meeting of two presidents, "he added.
As an assistant to Secretary of State of the Allied State of Russia and Belarus Ivan Makushok explained, "Belarusians are in perfect condition, the entire military infrastructure of the time of the Warsaw Treaty is located until launching plants of missiles with nuclear warheads, which were taken to Russia after the collapse of the USSR." "Moscow is unlikely to miss this opportunity, because for us Belarus is a trump card in a dispute with America. Return the rockets in the mines much faster than to build a radar in Poland, so it will not even answer, but preference" believes.
In Minsk, the words of the Russian ambassador did not cause any surprise. "The question has not yet been discussed yet, but you know: we have a high degree of integration with Russia, including in the military sphere. And the Russian bases are already there in our territory," said the Belarusian Foreign Ministry.
Russian military also consider such a scenario quite real. "This is a question definitely political. But if the decision to leadership is decided, there will be no questions. The military will be ordered - they will place the base at least on Mars," said the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
The idea of \u200b\u200baccommodation nuclear facilities RF in Belarus supports the top leadership of the republic. Minsk is very concerned about the growing American military presence in Eastern Europe and are counting on support and protection from Russia. In April, President Lukashenko promised: "The Belarusian people have never been and will not be a traitor, and we will never miss the tanks towards Moscow." On August 2, the Belarusian president expressed confidence: "We still use Russia."
Lukashenko will receive a new lever of pressure on Moscow in disputes around gas and oil prices
However, expressing the willingness to accommodate Russian strategic bases, Lukashenko, it seems, has other goals. After all, if Moscow goes to this step, Minsk will receive another pressure lever on it in disputes around energy supplies. "We will not be able to, on the one hand, to dictate the Belarus's incomprehensible prices for gas and oil, and on the other hand, to lead a strategic dialogue," Makushch believes.
The precedent of using the Minsk Russian bases in Belarus for pressure on Moscow was quite recently. At the height of the January Gas War, Alexander Lukashenko announced that he would require Moscow to pay RLS RLS in the village of Gantsevichi and the Antey's Super River Radio Technical Center in the city of Vileik to communicate with the submarines of the Russian Federation. True, then before the realization of this threat it did not come. However, in the case of placing in Belarus, the Russian nuclear weapon will be different. Adopting the security guarantor of Russia, Alexander Lukashenko will be able to not only truly bargain with Moscow on gas, but also demand for himself from the Kremlin guarantees to preserve power.
Recall, in early July, the first departure of the Russian Federation Sergey Ivanov said that in the event of Washington's reference from President Putin's proposals on the joint use of the RLS in Gabal and Armavir Moscow, Moscow can "place new rockets in the European part of the country, including Kaliningrad." Then Vladimir Putin himself announced that from August 17, Russia after a 15-year break renews constant flights of strategic aviation. Both statements were caused by extreme concern and in the United States, and in Europe.
Note, in 1992, in accordance with the Soviet-American Agreement START-1, nuclear weapons began with the territory of Belarus. This process continued until the mid-1990s. The provision that Belarus puts the goal of achieving nuclear-free status was even recorded in the Constitution of the country adopted in 1994. Nevertheless, after coming to power, Alexander Lukashenko arrived in Moscow and Minsk periodically raised the question of the return of Russian missiles in Belarus.
Expert: accommodation in Belarus of nuclear weapons - Logical answer of Russia USA
Russia should be placed on the territory of Belarus tactical nuclear weapons in response to the deployment of the elements of the American Pro Czech Republic and Poland, the President of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, Colonel-General Leonid Ivashov, believes. "The need for such actions follows from threats that create Russia and Belarus of the NATO country. In placement of new Russian military facilities, Belarus and Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has repeatedly spoke, - Ivashov said.
According to him, "it is not about placing in Belarus intercontinental ballistic missiles, we can talk about the placement of the tactical nuclear weapons of Russia." "It would be quite consistent with Russian-Belarusian agreements on a single defense space," said General.
Ivashov is confident that "the placement on the territory of the Belarusian nuclear weapon does not make Minsk nuclear power and does not violate it international obligations"." Also, the US nuclear weapon placed in Germany does not make Germany with a nuclear power, "the expert added.
In Washington, surprised by the decision of the Russian Federation to place nuclear weapons in Belarus
The United States is surprised by the information that Russia can place nuclear weapons in Belarus. "I surprise me that such proposals are generally nominated, even taking into account the concerns of the Russian leadership in connection with the deployment of pro in Europe," said American Senator Richard Lugar.
Lugagar noted that, in his opinion, such a development is unlikely, "since before that we agreed that all nuclear weapons will be derived from the territory of Ukraine and Belarus," Interfax reports. "Such a step (the placement of nuclear weapons in Belarus would be amazing and counterproductive for Russian-American relations," the American senator emphasized.
Lithuanian Ministry of Defense: Accommodation in Belarus nuclear facilities of the Russian Federation will negatively affect the situation in the region
Lithuanian Defense Minister Josoz Olakas negatively reacted to the statements that Russia can place nuclear weapons in Belarus. "In this case, I want to hope that the leadership of Belarus, at one time, who accepted a wise decision to abandon the nuclear arsenal on its territory Soviet UnionAnd now will come responsible, "said Olakas.
He noted that until the official comments of the Belarusian authorities appeared on this topic, in Lithuania, "regard this information as personal reasoning of the respected ambassador (Russia in Belarus)."
The minister stressed that "as opposed to US and NATO plans in the field of missile defense, which are purely defensive, and the created forces due to objective reasons can not be used against the Nuclear Arsenal of Russia, the Russian side speaks of a demonstrative redocation of offensive weapons. mass lesionDirected against the European countries. "" Such statements of representatives of Russia appreciate negatively and I think that they do not contribute to the creation of safety and stability in Europe, "said Olakas.
Belarus threatened the West possible way out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). According to official Minsk, USA and the United Kingdom, applying economic sanctions against Belarus, violated their obligations towards the country. Therefore, in Minsk can stop following these conditions. At least, at least, said the Belarusian delegation in Geneva at the second session of the NPT Review Conference Committee.
The Belarusian side stressed that it is very important for her to work trilateral security guarantees provided in accordance with the Budapest 1994 Memorandum in connection with the voluntary refusal of Belarus from the right to have nuclear weapons. "Three States of Great Britain, Russia and the United States, have committed themselves to respect the independence and sovereignty of Belarus, including not to apply economic coercion measures," the Belarusian delegates emphasized. And since there are sanctions, it means that Western partners encroach on the independence of Belarus.
"There is a reasonable question, why, despite the fixed and repeatedly confirmed obligations, some nuclear powers in practice ignore them, continuing to apply economic and political pressure measures. The measures taken by Great Britain and the United States regarding Belarus, the measures of economic coercion in the form of sanctions must be canceled. Budapest Memorandum In November 2012, registered with the UN as an international treaty. A violation of the adopted legal obligations is an invalid norm of state's behavior from the point of view of international law, "the Belarusian side emphasized.
Irritation of the official Minsk is understandable. The US and the EU applies a whole range of political and economic sanctions to Belarus. Currently, the "black list" of the EU includes 243 individuals and 32 companies providing support for the Lukashenko regime. The number of US blacklisted in the Black List is unknown, but maybe it is even more. We are talking about budget-forming companies - such as "BelSPETSExport", "Belneftekhim", Belaruskali. They implement their products mainly in far abroad. It means that sanctions are a direct blow to the country's budget.
Along the way, Belarus has reached a new one - almost Soviet is the level of military integration with Russia. In May, the Allies will hold large-scale exercises "West-2013", where they will work out a possible nuclear strike in Warsaw. The exercises will be in the immediate vicinity of Polish borders. In addition, Russia first announced that he plans to constantly deploy their airlocks with fighters in Belarus. As Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu told, the beginning of work on this project has been scheduled for this year: Moscow will place the aircraft commandant from the neighbors and put the first on-duty link of combat fighters. "We assume and further consider the issues necessary to strengthen the defense capability of our Belarusian colleagues and brothers," said Shoigu.
The director of the Minsk Center for European Integration Problems Yuri Shevtsov believes that an iconic event happened to the Belarusian foreign policy. "To overpays a whole air file to Belarus in less than two years - it is very quickly. And this reflects the high degree of military alarm with regard to NATO or individual countries of NATO. Polish games in greatness for Poland have always ended badly," the expert explains. And adds: "It is unlikely that opposition to the Polish activity regarding Belarus will be limited to one Russian airline. At a minimum, the saturation of the Belarusian army with new weapons and technology will now go faster. And if it comes to accommodation in the Belarusian nuclear weapons in the case of collapse of the Budapest Memorandum system, then the militarization of the region will increase in order. "
Of course, such activity from the official Minsk will inevitably affect the eastern borders of the EU. Poland and Lithuania will begin rapidly increase military spending. And if for Poland they are unlikely to become too strong economic burden, then for Lithuania, geopolitical changes will definitely mean additional problems in the conclusion of the country from the economic crisis. Shevtsov also believes that Russia will strengthen the pressure on Lithuania - both economic and informational. "The EU does not compensate for Lithuania these losses. Wars between Russia and NATO will still not be, but, here, losses from the current Polish activity in the East for Lithuania can be quite serious," the political scientist will summarize.
Experts consider it quite likely that the threats of Belarusians will not be empty air shaking, and that the country will respond to sanctions from the Budapest Memorandum. "The United States has actually already come out of it. Recently there was a statement, it seems, the US Embassy in Belarus that the United States does not consider this memorandum as a mandatory document," Shevtsim comments.
All this means that Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, are about to get a legal basis to return to their nuclear status. And in the end, someone who, and Belarus will definitely expect to accommodate the Russian nuclear weapons on their territory. Moreover, the Belarusian government already has about 2.5 tons of nuclear materials, some of which has a high degree of enrichment, sufficient, for example, for the rapid production of a "dirty" atomic "bomb".
In addition, a number of threshold countries will receive an additional impulse to the creation of nuclear weapons, because they will see the unreliability of security guarantees from the United States. Most likely, the first of these countries will officially try to become Iran, "describes more distant consequences of these changes to Shevtsov.
All this is undoubtedly on Lukashenko's hand. The author of the Nuclear Disarmament Program of Belarus Stanislav Shushkevich says that "Lukashenko will soon begin more actively to blackmail the United States with a return to the nuclear status." It will be done in order to achieve relief from the Belarusian sanctions. And to return to him, Batka may every time he does not like something in the behavior of NATO member countries. Liuashenko will receive a nuclear weapon, which has long been dreaming, in the next few years only will depend on Russia.
The United States will obviously have to react to it somehow. An attempt to pacify the incomplete Lukashenko may turn into new conflicts for NATO member countries. What is particularly unsafe against the background of the growing military relics of China and the embittered rhetoric addressed to the West by Russia.
In the symbolic club of nuclear powers, modern Belarus has existed for almost five years: from the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991 to November 27, 1996, when the territory of the republic left the last echelon with rockets stained by nuclear charges.
Since then, the words of a number of politicians have repeatedly sounded words about allegedly the task of lost power, because the nuclear obube is a convincing argument to counteract the goats of external potential enemies encroaching on the sovereignty of the state. Then suddenly the ambassador Alexander Surikov On the possible placement of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus "With a certain level of mutual trust and integration." That Alexander Lukashenko "Cold Error" Conclusion from Belarus of nuclear weapons, accusing "Our Nationalists and Shushkevich" for profuckers "The greatest heritage and expensive goods".
Epizodically, some anonymous sources from the Belarusian and Russian military departments declare readiness to return nuclear rockets in the sineok, provided that "It was decided to leadership". It is noteworthy that the allies will note: "The Belarusians in the perfect state is the entire military infrastructure of the times of the Warsaw Pact, right up to launching plants of missiles with nuclear warheads, which were taken to Russia after the collapse of the USSR".
As for the sites for launchers, their condition website Already analyzed - in publication. It is clear that this kind of objects - existing so far or was canned - closely approached, to put it mildly, is unsafe. However, some idea of modern conditionFor example, the bases that can keep ammunition with nuclear filling can also be obtained from open sources. It should be emphasized that in a hypothetical return to Belarus "The greatest heritage" Such bases are primary strategic importance. Everything starts with them.
Our part of nuclear history
Data by total Nuclear charges in the USSR have never been published in open print. According to various estimates, in the Soviet Union they had from 20 to 45 thousand units. Some researchers indicate that as of 1989, there were about 1180 strategic and tactical nuclear warheads on the territory of the BSSR. Bases for their storage began to build in the early 1950s. And built, I must say, on the century: the high-quality cement did not regret, the storages were buried into the ground to the depths of up to 10 meters.
Among the very first and large military warehouses - nuclear bases, designed to store and prepare for the use of atomic bombs, a base was built under the farm of the farmer of the Naval Aviation, which was located in Machuli, which is two tens of kilometers from Minsk. In the language of the military, it was called in / h No. 75367 and had the conditional name "Repair and Technical Base".
Another base rocket armament Strategic appointment (RVSN) was located near Gomel. There is practically nothing unknown about it, only the number is in / h 42654 - and the code name "Bellar Arsenal".
The most famous object of this series was the artillery arsenal, which began to build in 1952 near the station of the Colosovo Stolbtsovsky district of the Minsk region. Before the collapse of the USSR, the repository maintained in / h 25819, and it itself was called the "25th Arsenal RVSN". Officially, part was disbanded and bred to Russia in 1996. However, later the unit was reanimated, and now in the composition of the Armed Forces of Belarus, it is listed as the 25th arsenal of rocket-artillery weapons. It was here in the 90s a disassembly of nuclear warheads under the close observation of NATO inspectors.
Noisy "reed" and the commander disappeared
After the last nuclear warhead was taken out of arsenal to Russia, the divorce and slat began. At once, the secret object could be easily hit, bypassing the checkpoint, simply overpanding through the fence. To see the place to notice, the arsenal was essentially three facilities: on one territory in the forest massif, a military town was located and the administrative part of the unit with technical structures. The base of storage of ammunition called "Ramysh" was a few kilometers from the headquarters - also in the forest. In 1996, there was no longer any security.
Poles with shields with the inscription "Pass is prohibited. Shootless without warning "were taken out. The premises of the checkpoint are plundered, the balance of alarm remained on Earth. The only thing that remained in untouched by the form is directly the territory where warehouses with conventional ammunition were underground. True, who wanted to get there. Semikilometer around the perimeter The territory was fenced with two rows of barbed wire, which was under high voltage. Next to the locked on the castle, the gate stood a five-meter metal tower with braces. Spectacle creepy ...
The command of the arsenal and the remaining and nobody unnecessary officers were more concerned about the problem of their own survival than the service. Local power threatened to de-energize and deprive the warmth of the military for non-payment of accumulated debts. The situation was ahow, and each of the serves spinned as he could.
Arsenal commander - Colonel, the problem of his own survival decided simply. One day he just disappeared. As it turned out - deserted, but not with empty hands. Together with him disappeared with a suitcase with very expensive "trophies": the colonel kidnapped 600 magnets with a high content of platinum in a total amount of about 100 thousand dollars. During the dismantling, the rockets in the part was the collection of colored and precious metals.
How and how at the price of the 25th arsenal restored and, what is called, they put in operation, we will not guess.
According to information website, Ten years ago, this military facility was equipped with a newest integrated security system, which consists of several subsystems. The technical territory of the arsenal is a wire fencing with a voltage between the lines of 3 thousand volts. Even if overcome this line, then inside you can run into electrical traps with a voltage of 6 thousand volts with three levels of response: alarm, warning and affecting. A special video surveillance system helps to protect the territory at any time of the day. Plus to everything - the human factor in shape and with a machine gun.
In all grounds, the 25th arsenal is able to protect and serve not only weapons of usual, let's say, explosive type. As the military say: "We carry out orders, and not discuss!".
The next such order they recently received. After their Commander-in-Chief of February 13, an agreement between Belarus and Russia on the joint protection of the external border of the Allied State in the airspace and the creation of a unified regional air defense system. What is not a reason to go about the once lost nuclear power and possible options for its gain?
The collapse of the Soviet Union unexpectedly turned Belarus to a nuclear power. But warheads located on the territory our country, factiologically controlled Moscow. The last rocket left Belarus on November 26, 1996. This event was preceded by long and difficult negotiations with Russia and the West.
The nuclear button remains in Russia
Belarus B. soviet times was the outpost soviet armyaimed to the West - there were a lot of weapons in the country. Even the Ex-Prime Minister Vyacheslav Kebich, who is difficult to suspect the criticism of the Soviet Orders, argued in memoirs: in the number of tanks per capita, the BSSR was the most militarized in the world. Praise in Belarus and nuclear weapons, which appeared in the country in the 1960s. As of 1989, there were about 1180 strategic and tactical nuclear warheads on the territory of the BSSR. For their service, four missile divisions were answered, which were based near the bar, Mozyr, Power and Lida. The territory near the bases were reminded by the desert, which extended ten kilometers. But the system of nuclear-weapon control was in Moscow, and therefore Belarusians became hostages of the Union-Union Guide.
After Chernobyl, the society was seriously configured against an atom, who did not seem peaceful to anyone. Therefore, in, adopted on July 27, 1990, it was approved: "The Belarusian SSR sets the goal to make its territory by a nuclear-free zone, and the republic is a neutral state." This desire has met sympathy from abroad: it went to the collapse of the USSR, and America was interested in the composition of the Nuclear Club remained unchanged. As claim Peter Kravchenko (In 1990-1994, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the BSSR, and then the Republic of Belarus), already in September 1991, meeting with US Secretary of State James Baker, he led to talk about the nuclear-free status of the Republic.
The implementation of these plans has become possible only after Belovezhskaya Forest. The leaders of the republics understood what risks are loss of control over the "nuclear button", therefore, in agreement on the creation of the CIS on December 8, 1991, it was guaranteed that the members of the Commonwealth "provide a single control over nuclear weapons and its non-proliferation."
Subsequent agreements adopted at the turn of 1991-1992 identified the temporary status of nuclear weapons, which by the time of the collapse of the USSR was located in the territory of the four republics: Belarus, Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. To control nuclear weapons, a joint command was created by the strategic forces, which was supposed to lead Marshal Yevgeny Shaposhnikov, before that was the Minister of Defense of the USSR. Ukraine and Belarus should have abandoned the warheads placed in their territories, and join the Non-Proliferation Treaty of Nuclear Weapons. Until that time, the decision on its application was to be taken by the President of Russia "in coordination with the heads of Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan in consultation with the heads of other Member States of the Commonwealth." Tactical nuclear weapons should have been taken to Russia and is uncompletened there under joint control. All four countries had to jointly develop a policy in the field of nuclear weapons.
The situation was ambiguous. At first glance, the parties declared universal control over the weapons. On the other hand, Russia continued to play the first violin: in 1993, the Chicago Tribune newspaper claimed: "In practice, it means that only Yeltsin knows the management of their [missiles], but it is assumed that he will not give an order for launch without the consent of Ukraine , Kazakhstan and Belarus. " Of course, this situation was little encouraged.
Belarus and Ukraine: Different Strategies
The question remained open, which compensation will receive countries for the refusal of nuclear weapons. Position Stanislav Shushkevich It was simple: it is necessary to get rid of rockets as soon as possible. As the ex-speaker later said, "Belarus was actually a hostage of Russia. There was so many nuclear weapons on her surface that it was possible to destroy the whole of Europe. I considered it a very dangerous thing, and as soon as we signed Belovezhsky agreements, I said: we will withdraw nuclear weapons without prior conditions, compensation, and we will do it immediately, because it threatens the death of the Belarusian nation, Belarus. "
But other policies argued that the refusal of missiles could be obtained serious compensation. "I consider the biggest mistake in the early 90s from the Belarusian weapons on the model, which the West imposed Shushkevich, and Shushkevich - the Supreme Council," wrote one of the leaders of the BNF, the deputy of the Supreme Council Sergey Naumchik. - Yes, weapons needed to withdraw (and a string of naughty in the declaration of sovereignty - mine), but - on favorable conditions for Belarus (among which is not excluded, visa-free or lightweight entry). But at the end of December 1991, in Alma-Ata Shushkevich, without consulting with members of the Belarusian delegation, without any conditions agreed to recognize Russia with the successor of the USSR in the UN and the owner of nuclear weapons. "
From Memoirov Petra Kravchenko "Belarus at the crossroads. Notes Politics and diplomat ":"We experienced a real shock. It turned out that Shushkevich just passed us! Passed the national interests of Belarus, which in one fear of the main trump card in negotiations with Russia,<…>. Of course, he had no right to make such decisions without consulting with the entire composition of the delegation.<…> The second person who has fully realized all the dramaticness of what is happening was my long-standing opponent Zenon Poznyak. He watched with frightened and, having sigh, choking such a phrase: "Shushkevich does not care about the state interests of the Motherland!"<…> In the framework of the Belarusian-Russian agreements from the territory of Belarus, 87 MC-25 rockets were removed. They were dismantled at the Arzamas-3 enterprise. Of them, it turned out<…> Uranus, which Russia then sold the United States. As a result, Russia received more than ten billion dollars. These are official data, although the Russian opposition press argued that the transaction price was several times more. "
At the same time, Ukraine took a completely different position. In March 1992, the president of this country Leonid Kravchuk He stopped the export of tactical nuclear weapons to Russia. As the leader of Ukraine said, "by virtue of the established political instability and confusion, we cannot be sure that the rockets exported by us are destroyed, and not fall into unkind hands.<…> Ukraine considers the capacity of the plant for the destruction of nuclear arsenals, located in Russia, insufficient. Therefore, she has the right to have a similar enterprise on its territory.<…> It can take on the processing of waste from the nuclear power plants of the republic. "
Ukraine also suggested that the export from its territory of nuclear weapons and its destruction was carried out under international control. According to the researcher of Denis Rafeenko, such a policy was explained by the Ukrainian-Russian contradictions in the Crimea and the Black Sea Fleet. "Under these conditions, the nuclear card was used by the management of Ukraine as a response to those or other actions of the Russian side."
Whose compensation will be more?
Ukrainian position caused certain problems. On July 30-31, 1991, a contract for reducing strategic offensive arms (START-1) was signed in Moscow. According to the document, the USSR and the United States should have reduced their nuclear arsenals within 7 years. At the same time, each of the parties had no more than 6 thousand weapons units. As noted Denis Rafeensko, "The United States point for events taking place in Ukraine at that time was that if Ukraine cannot ratify the START-1 treaty, then this agreement will lose its strength. Congress of people's deputies Russian Federation He decided to ratify the START-1 treaty, but not to exchange instruments of ratification until Ukraine joins the Nuclear Weapon Treaty. It was necessary to search for a compromise.
Since the economies of Ukraine and Belarus have experienced difficulties, both countries hoped for the support of the West and Russia. But Ukraine, which has not fully abandoned weapons, used him as an argument, and Belarus acts as a petitioner.
As Peter Kravchenko recalls, in January 1992, Belarus announced that it would not only fulfill all his obligations, but also accelerates the conclusion from the country of tactical nuclear weapons. It became a trump card in negotiations with the Americans, who in the spring of the same year distributed the action of Nanna-Lugar's program to our country. It provided for the allocation of 250 million dollars on the objectives associated with ensuring nuclear safety during dismantling, redeployment and destruction of nuclear warheads. Belarus received more than 100 million dollars. Note that later, in 1993, during the visit to the United States of the Belarusian delegation, led by Stanislav Shushkevich Belarus received another 59 million.
In parallel, negotiations were between western countries and former allied, and now by independent republics. On May 23, 1992, Lisbon Protocol was signed to the START-1 Treaty.