Russia's Shoigu says nuclear deployment in Belarus driven by sharp escalation of threats on western border

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Thursday that the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus was driven by rising tensions with the West.

"In the context of an extremely sharp escalation of threats on the western borders of Russia and Belarus, a decision was made to take countermeasures in the military-nuclear sphere," TASS news agency quoted him as saying.