SIPRI: Nuclear weapon states are modernizing and building up their arsenals

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) published an annual report in which experts concluded that global security in 2022 has deteriorated significantly compared to a decade ago, and that Russiaʼs war against Ukraine has increased the confrontation between major powers.

The war in Europe weakened arms control and made diplomacy less effective, according to SIPRI. Against this background, the USA, Russia, China, North Korea and India, Great Britain, Israel and France continue to modernize their nuclear weapons and build up their arsenals.

Also, these countries are increasing the number of deployed nuclear warheads, and some of them have deployed new weapons systems capable of carrying nuclear charges.

The USA and Russia have almost 90% of the nuclear weapons in the world. Their combined 2,= 000 warheads are in a state of increased combat capability. China has increased its nuclear arsenal from 350 warheads to 410. SIPRI believes that the number of Chinese ballistic missiles could match those of Russia or the United States by the end of the decade.

France continues work on a nuclear-powered submarine equipped with third-generation ballistic missiles. India and Pakistan are expanding their nuclear arsenals and continuing to develop new delivery systems. North Korea did not conduct nuclear tests in 2022, but conducted more than 90 missile launches. Some of the missiles launched may carry nuclear warheads.

Separately, the report examines the termination of the dialogue between Moscow and Washington regarding strategic stability. Moscow, which has threatened to use nuclear weapons in a war against Ukraine, announced in February that it was withdrawing from the Strategic Offensive Arms Reduction Treaty. The United States has stopped sending messages to Russia under this treaty.

• On May 25 of this year, the Ministers of Defense of Belarus and Russia Viktor Khrenin and Serhiy Shoihu signed documents on the placement of non-strategic tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory in a special storage facility. On the same day, Lukashenko informed that the transfer of Russian nuclear weapons had already begun.
• In June, at a meeting with Lukashenko, Putin stated that the placement of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus will begin immediately after the preparation of facilities for it is completed on July 7-8.
• Earlier, the Belarusian army also received the "Iskander" missile complex, capable of carrying such weapons.