President Vladimir Putin on Friday confirmed Russia had sent nuclear arms to Belarus which borders Ukraine.
'The first nuclear warheads were delivered to the territory of Belarus. This is the first part', Putin told an annual economic forum in St Petersburg.
Belarus is a key Russian ally and served as a launchpad for Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year.
Putin's announcement had spurred fears of nuclear conflict, but experts and governments said it was unlikely it would change the course of the conflict.