Belarus holds snap inspection of nuclear arms carriers

Moscow: Belarus said Tuesday it had started a surprise inspection of its non strategic nuclear weapon carriers on the orders of President Alexander Lu...

Moscow: Belarus said Tuesday it had started a surprise inspection of its non-strategic nuclear weapon carriers on the orders of President Alexander Lukashenko.

The announcement comes a day after his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin ordered nuclear drills in Russia, raising fears the powerful weapons could be used in Ukraine.

Non-strategic nuclear weapons, also known as tactical nuclear weapons, are designed for battlefield use and can be delivered via missiles.

They are less devastating than the strategic nuclear weapons used to obliterate entire cities but are still massively destructive and have never been used in combat.

"In accordance with an order from the President of Belarus, a sudden inspection of non-strategic nuclear weapons carriers is being carried out," the Belarusian defence ministry said.