Russia’s Oreshnik ballistic missile deployed to Belarus, Lukashenko says
A Russian ballistic missile system known as Oreshnik has been deployed to Belarus and has entered active combat duty, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said during a press conference on Dec. 18.
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.
