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Ukraine鈥檚 government on Sunday called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to 鈥渃ounter the Kremlin鈥檚 nuclear blackmail鈥� after Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed plans to station聽tactical atomic weapons聽in Belarus.

One Ukrainian official said Russia 鈥渢ook Belarus as a nuclear hostage.鈥�

Further heightening tensions, an explosion deep inside Russia wounded three people Sunday. Russian authorities blamed a Ukrainian drone for the blast, which damaged residential buildings in a town just 175 kilometers (110 miles) south of Moscow.

Russia has said the plan to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus comes in response to the West鈥檚 increasing military support for Ukraine. Mr. Putin announced the plan in a TV interview that aired Saturday, saying it was triggered by a聽U.K. decision聽this past week to provide Ukraine with armor-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium.

Mr. Putin argued that by deploying its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Russia was following the lead of the United States. He noted that Washington has nuclear weapons based in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey.

鈥淲e are doing what they have been doing for decades, stationing them in certain allied countries, preparing the launch platforms, and training their crews,鈥� he said.

Ukraine鈥檚 Foreign Ministry condemned the move in a statement Sunday and demanded an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.

鈥淯kraine expects effective action to counter the Kremlin鈥檚 nuclear blackmail by the U.K., China, the U.S., and France,鈥� the statement read, saying these countries 鈥渉ave a special responsibility鈥� regarding nuclear aggression.

鈥淭he world must be united against someone who endangers the future of human civilization,鈥� the statement said.

Ukraine has not commented on Sunday鈥檚 explosion inside Russia. It left a crater about 15 meters (50 feet) in diameter and five meters deep (16 feet), according to media reports.

Russian state-run news agency Tass reported authorities identified the drone as a Ukrainian Tu-141. The Soviet-era drone was reintroduced in Ukraine in 2014, and has a range of about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).

The explosion took place in the town of Kireyevsk in the Tula region, about 300 kilometers (180 miles) from the border with Ukraine. Russia鈥檚 Defense Ministry said the drone crashed after an electronic jamming system disabled its navigation.

Similar drone attacks have been common during the war, although Ukraine hardly ever acknowledges responsibility. On Monday, Russia said Ukrainian drones attacked civilian facilities in the town of Dzhankoi in Russia-annexed Crimea. Ukraine鈥檚 military said several Russian cruise missiles were destroyed, but did not specifically claim responsibility.

In December, the Russian military reported several Ukrainian drone attacks on long-range bomber bases deep inside Russia. The Russian Defense Ministry said the drones were shot down but acknowledged that their debris damaged some aircraft and killed several servicemen.

Also, Russian authorities have reported attacks by small drones in the Bryansk and Belgorod regions on the border with Ukraine.

On Saturday, Mr. Putin argued that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has long asked to have nuclear weapons in his country again to counter NATO. Belarus shares borders with three NATO members聽鈥� Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland聽鈥� and Russia used Belarusian territory as a staging ground to send troops into neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

Both Mr. Lukashenko鈥檚 support of the war and Mr. Putin鈥檚 plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus have been denounced by the Belarusian opposition.

Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine鈥檚 National Security and Defense Council, tweeted Sunday that Mr. Putin鈥檚 announcement was 鈥渁 step towards internal destabilization鈥� of Belarus that maximized 鈥渢he level of negative perception and public rejection鈥� of Russia and Mr. Putin in Belarusian society. The Kremlin, Mr. Danilov added, 鈥渢ook Belarus as a nuclear hostage.鈥�

Tactical nuclear weapons are intended for use on the battlefield and have a short range and a low yield compared with much more powerful nuclear warheads fitted to long-range missiles. Russia plans to maintain control over the ones it sends to Belarus, and construction of storage facilities for them will be completed by July 1, Mr. Putin said.

Russia has stored its tactical nuclear weapons at dedicated depots on its territory, and moving part of the arsenal to a storage facility in Belarus would up the ante in the Ukrainian conflict by placing them closer to Russian aircraft and missiles already stationed there.

The U.S. said it would 鈥渕onitor the implications鈥� of Mr. Putin鈥檚 announcement. So far, Washington hasn鈥檛 seen 鈥渁ny indications Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon,鈥� National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.

In Germany, the foreign ministry called it a 鈥渇urther attempt at nuclear intimidation,鈥� German news agency dpa reported late Saturday. The ministry went on to say that 鈥渢he comparison drawn by President Putin to NATO鈥檚 nuclear participation is misleading and cannot be used to justify the step announced by Russia.鈥�

This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writer Kirsten Grieshaber contributed to this report from Berlin.