The number of nuclear warheads ready for launch increased last year, AFP reported, citing a report published today by a non-governmental organization.

As of the beginning of this year, states that have officially declared that they have nuclear weapons and those that are suspected of having them had 9,576 nuclear warheads ready for launch - that equates to "more than 135,000 bombs like the one dropped on Hiroshima," said a report by the Norwegian NGO Norsk Folkeshjelp.

The Norwegian organization published this data at a time when Moscow has repeatedly raised concerns about the possible use of nuclear weapons in the context of the war in Ukraine.

Russia has Yars nuclear missiles in Siberia

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he had reached an agreement with Minsk to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus.

Last year, the total number of nuclear warheads ready for launch rose by 136 due to increases in Russia, China, India, North Korea and Pakistan, according to the Norwegian organization's report.

This increase is alarming and is a continuation of a trend that began in 2017, points out a representative of Norsk Folkeshjelp.

The eight countries that have officially announced that they have nuclear weapons are the USA, Russia, Great Britain, France, China, India and Pakistan, and Israel is suspected of having such weapons, BTA informs.

nuclear weapons