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What the late March 2023 security signals meant
Summary
A look back at the security developments reported around 31 March 2023, from Sloviansk to Budapest and Minsk.
What was the security picture in Ukraine and its neighbourhood on 31 March 2023? Reports from the days just before that date point to three developments: a missile strike on a Ukrainian city, a step in NATO enlargement and an announced nuclear deployment.
Strike on Sloviansk
On 27 March 2023, a Russian missile strike on Sloviansk, in Donetsk Oblast, killed at least two civilians and injured 29 others. The attack was among those on civilians during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Finland's path into NATO
On the same day, the National Assembly of Hungary voted 182–6 to approve Finland's accession to NATO. That left Turkey as the only NATO member yet to approve Finland's membership in the alliance.
Nuclear weapons in Belarus
On 25 March 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus by July. Russian forces would operate the missiles. It would be the first time Russian nuclear weapons had been deployed abroad since 1996.
Taken together, the reports showed continued attacks on Ukrainian civilians, a near-complete ratification process for Finland's NATO membership, and a declared plan to place Russian nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory.
