Russian President Vladimir Putin termed Belarus a nuclear power Monday, calling it "a major step forward" Monday as Belarus commissioned its second nuclear power plant in November last year, fulfilling the country's 40% of electricity needs.
The nuclear power plant — the Russian VVER-1200 reactor — was constructed by the joint efforts of the Russian atomic energy firm Rosatom and Belarus. The first reactor started generating power in November 2020.
The Russian company had said at that time that "according to contractual obligations, from this moment on, Rosatom assumes responsibility for the operability of the unit’s equipment during the warranty period".
The plant is capable of generating 2,400 megawatts of electricity.
Vladimir Putin said: "This is a major step forward."
The 71-year-old leader said that construction of the power plant had given rise to a whole new industry in the neighboring country, adding that “in this sense, Belarus has certainly become a nuclear power.”
The Belarussian nuclear power plant is located in Ostrovet in the Grodno region. The construction work on the project commenced in 2013 and was completed in 2023 by Rosatom subsidiary Atomstroyexport.
According to Russian media RIA Novosti, this is the first nuclear power station outside Russia to use Rosatom’s nuclear reactors of the 3+ generation.
Earlier in June last year, Putin said that Russia sent its tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus after negotiating with President Alexander Lukashenko as the tensions with the West were spiraling at the strategic front concerning the Moscow special military operation in Ukraine.
Putin said at that time that Russian tactical nuclear warheads had already been delivered to Belarus, stressing that there was no need to resort to nuclear weapons for now.
It was for the first time that Russia deployed its nuclear weapons outside its territory since the implosion of the Soviet Union in 1992.
The long-time Russian leader Putin had said that the move was intended to warn the West about arming and supporting Ukraine, adding that it was an element of deterrence so that all those who were thinking about inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia would not be oblivious to this circumstance.
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