Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has announced that the newly developed Russian Oreshnik missile system has officially entered combat service on Belarusian territory, marking a further deepening of military cooperation between Minsk and Moscow amid heightened tensions with NATO.
Speaking before the Belarusian people and parliament during a session of the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly in the capital Minsk, Lukashenko said the first deployment sites of the Oreshnik system had been fully prepared and activated as of December 17. He confirmed that the system had arrived in Belarus a day earlier and was now operational as part of the country’s defensive posture.
The Oreshnik is described as a medium-range ballistic missile system equipped with non-nuclear hypersonic warheads. Russian officials first revealed the system publicly in November 2024, when Moscow announced it had been successfully tested under combat conditions. According to Russian statements at the time, the missile was used to strike a Ukrainian military-industrial facility in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Russian sources claimed that a mass strike using the system could deliver an impact comparable in effect to the use of nuclear weapons, though without carrying a nuclear payload.
Lukashenko has previously called for the deployment of Russia’s most advanced weapons systems in Belarus, a request he made publicly in December 2024 as relations with Western countries continued to deteriorate. In early August this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that serial production of the Oreshnik system had begun and that deliveries to Belarus would be completed by the end of the year. Russian and Belarusian specialists had earlier identified suitable locations for the system’s deployment within Belarus.
Belarusian officials have consistently framed the deployment as a defensive measure rather than an act of aggression. Lukashenko reiterated this position during the Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security, stating that the placement of the Oreshnik system does not threaten other countries. He added that Belarus would be prepared to reconsider its deployment plans if European states were willing to take reciprocal steps regarding their own missile systems.
The development and testing of the Oreshnik missile system have been presented by Moscow as a response to what it describes as increasingly aggressive actions by NATO, particularly the continued supply of long-range Western weapons to the Ukrainian armed forces. Russian officials argue that such deliveries have altered the strategic balance and necessitated new military capabilities designed to counter emerging threats.
The deployment of the Oreshnik system in Belarus underscores the growing military integration between the two allies and highlights the broader escalation in missile and deterrence capabilities across Eastern Europe. As the conflict in Ukraine continues and NATO-Russia relations remain strained, the move is likely to draw close scrutiny from Western governments concerned about the expanding footprint of advanced Russian weapons systems beyond Russia’s borders.
