Russia begins production of hypersonic missile, plans deployment to Belarus
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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Aug. 1 that Moscow has begun production of its latest hypersonic missile, named "Oreshnik," and confirmed plans to deploy the weapon to Belarus later this year.
Putin made the announcement during an interview with Russian state-controlled media while meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at the Valaam Orthodox Monastery near St. Petersburg.
Belarus, a close Kremlin ally, shares borders with both Ukraine and Russia and has served as a key staging ground for Moscow throughout its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops have launched attacks into Ukraine from Belarusian territory, and the two countries frequently conduct joint military exercises.
According to Putin, Russian and Belarusian military forces have already selected launch sites in Belarus for the Oreshnik missile system.
"Preparatory work is ongoing, and most likely we will be done with it before the year's end," Putin said, adding that the first batch of Oreshnik missiles and related systems have been produced and entered military service.
Russia first launched the experimental Oreshnik missile during a strike on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Nov. 21. Putin claimed the attack was in retaliation for Ukraine's use of U.S. and British long-range missiles against Russian territory.
Few details about the missile have been made public. However, defense analysts believe Oreshnik is likely an upgraded version of Russia's RS-26, also known as the Rubezh, which was first produced in 2011.
