Belarus Flag for Belarus

Country Spotlight

Belarus gained independence following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and inherited a nuclear weapons infrastructure. It transferred all remaining nuclear weapons back to Russia by 1996, and today possesses no WMDs. Belarus maintains a close defense relationship with Russia, and the two have shared a missile defense system since 2016.

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Region   Former Soviet Union

81 Road-mobile SS-25s inherited after the fall of the USSR

1992 Transferred all Soviet chemical weapons back to Russia

1st Nuclear power plant currently under construction

Nuclear

  • Possessed an unknown number of tactical nuclear weapons after the fall of the USSR
  • Possesses 230 kg of highly-enriched uranium (HEU); talks to repatriate HEU to Russia collapsed in 2011
  • Joined the NPT as a non-nuclear weapons state in July 1993

Biological

  • Has never possessed an offensive biological weapons program

Missile

  • Did not inherit any major missile production or design facilities from the Soviet Union
  • Collaborates with Russia on missile design, production, and defense
  • Began producing Polonez, a short-range multiple-launch missile system, in 2017 with the help of China

Chemical

  • Has not attempted to restart a chemical weapons program since the removal of Soviet WMDs in the 1990’s

Treaties and Regimes Memberships

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NPT

The NPT is a treaty aimed at limiting the spread of nuclear weapons through the three pillars of non-proliferation, disarmament, and peaceful use of nuclear energy.

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Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

The CIS is an association that coordinates the facilitation of free movement of goods, services, labor force, and capital between member states. It also promotes cooperation on security matters.

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Treaty on Open Skies

The Treaty on Open Skies authorizes the militaries of States Parties to conduct unarmed reconnaissance flights over other States Parties' territories.

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Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM)

The Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) focuses on the physical protection of peaceful use of nuclear materials

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Facilities

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Strengthening Global Systems to Prevent and Respond to High-Consequence Biological Threats

Report

Strengthening Global Systems to Prevent and Respond to High-Consequence Biological Threats

A new NTI | bio report released today on the sidelines of the Biological Weapons Convention Meeting of States Parties, “Strengthening Global Systems to Prevent and Respond to High-Consequence Biological Threats,” outlines actionable recommendations for the international community to bolster prevention and response capabilities for high-consequence biological events.

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