Lukashenko says Russia’s Oreshnik ballistic missile deployed to Belarus, Zelensky calls for sanctions to curb its production
Editor's note: The article was updated on Dec. 19 following President Volodymyr Zelensky's comments during a press conference regarding Russia's deployment of the Oreshnik missile system to Belarus.
A Russian ballistic missile system known as Oreshnik has been deployed to Belarus and has entered active combat duty, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said during a press conference on Dec. 18.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 19 that Ukraine knows where the Oreshnik would be deployed in Belarus and is sharing the information with its Western allies.
"I think the partners themselves can assess this threat and understand how they should respond to it," Zelensky said in a press conference with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, as cited by Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne.
Zelensky said that he showed Western allies Oreshnik's range to underscore how the deployment is a threat to many European nations, including Poland and Germany. He called for sanctions on Western and international companies that are selling components for Russia's Oreshnik production through third-party countries.
"Without these components, Russia simply cannot develop the production of Oreshnik," Zelensky said, as cited by Suspilne.
The deployment further transforms Belarus into a potential launch site for Russian missile strikes, shrinking the buffer zone between Ukraine and potential launch areas to just a few dozen kilometers. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Belarus has allowed its territory to be used for Russian troop movements, missile launches, and drone attacks.
The Oreshnik is a new Russian intermediate-range ballistic missile, reportedly designed to carry nuclear warheads. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the missile in November 2024, claiming it was a new type of weapon that Western air defense systems would be unable to intercept.
However, as with other Russian "superweapons," experts remain skeptical about the missile's capabilities.
In October, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Oreshnik has a range of up to 5,000 kilometers (3,107 miles) and cannot strike targets within about 700 kilometers (435 miles) of its launch site, adding that Russia can produce up to six such missiles per year.
The missile was first used in combat during a Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Nov. 21, 2024. According to Putin, the missile was not armed with a nuclear warhead at the time.
