Soviets Deny Shifting A-Weapons

MOSCOW — A Soviet spokesman on Tuesday denied reports that the government is removing nuclear weapons from the Baltic republics and other sensitive regions.

"As they told us in the Defense Ministry press center, there is no need to remove Soviet troops with nuclear weapons around the Soviet Union, so no unscheduled movements have been made," Foreign Ministry spokesman Gennady I. Gerasimov told a regular briefing.

U.S. officials and private specialists said last week that the Soviets were moving nuclear warheads out of the Baltics and southern areas including Armenia and Azerbaijan because of concerns over nationalistic and ethnic tensions.