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UKRAINE

Berlin condemns Russian nuclear weapon deployment in Belarus

Germany on Sunday condemned a decision by Russian President Vladimir Putin to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, bringing the arms closer to the European Union.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Transport Minister at the Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Transport Minister at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 25, 2023. Berlin has condemned Putin's decision to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Photo: Gavriil GRIGOROV / SPUTNIK / AFP

The announcement was “another attempt at nuclear intimidation by Russia”, an official in the foreign office told AFP.

Germany would not allow itself to be “put off our course” by Moscow’s move, the source said on condition of anonymity.

“The comparison made by President Putin to nuclear sharing in NATO is misleading and does not justify the step announced by Russia,” the source said.

Belarus would also “contradict” its own international declarations to be a nuclear weapons-free zone, they said.

Putin justified the move on Saturday, saying: “There is nothing unusual here either. The United States has been doing this for decades.

“They have long placed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allies,” Putin said in an interview on Russian television.

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POLITICS

Yulia Navalnaya votes at Russian embassy in Berlin

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was queuing to cast her ballot at the Russian embassy in Berlin on Sunday, an AFP journalist witnessed.

Yulia Navalnaya votes at Russian embassy in Berlin

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was queueing to cast her ballot at the Russian embassy in Berlin on Sunday, an AFP journalist witnessed.

Wearing a black jacket, Navalnaya received flowers from supporters and chatted with fellow voters in the long queue outside the embassy in the German capital.

Navalnaya had called on Russians to stage an election day protest against President Vladimir Putin by forming long queues outside voting stations.

‘Among voters who joined the snaking line in Berlin was Maria Katkova, 33, who told AFP that she was there “because I don’t want my vote to be stolen”.

“I want to be together with all these people here and feel like I’m not alone,” said Katkova, who had been in the queue for two hours.

Stanislav Vliasov, 33, a risk manager, said that he had come to vote because “it’s a good possibility to show a picture to all people around the world, to people in Russia… that people are against this situation… against the politics in Russia.

“People know there is a lot to do after today, the world has a lot to do to fight Putin’s regime,” he added.

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