Russia plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, according to President Vladimir Putin. Putin revealed in an interview with Russia 1 that Moscow will complete the construction of a storage facility for these weapons by July. Moscow has already transferred an Iskander short-range missile system to Belarus. This system has the capability of holding both nuclear and conventional warheads. Putin also stated that Moscow has helped Belarus convert 10 aircraft to make them capable of carrying tactical nuclear warheads, and will train pilots to fly them early next month. Belarus is one of Russia's closest allies, and it helped Russia launch its initial invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since then, fears of Belarus being used as a launching pad for future offensives have been rampant. Putin has used escalating rhetoric since the invasion, warning of the increasing threat of nuclear war while suggesting Russia may abandon its "no first use" policy. Belarus has not had any nuclear weapons since the early 1990s, and it agreed to transfer all Soviet-era weapons of mass destruction to Russia after gaining independence from the Soviet Union. Putin assured that Moscow would retain control over any tactical nuclear weapons stationed in Belarus.