Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated on Thursday that Russia has positioned its newest nuclear-capable

Oreshnik missile system within Belarus. This development occurs during a critical period in negotiations aimed at

resolving the conflict in Ukraine.

According to Lukashenko, the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile system arrived in Belarus on Wednesday and

has already been placed on combat duty. He did not specify the number of missiles deployed or provide further details.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced on Wednesday that the Oreshnik system would enter combat duty this month,

also without elaborating. Putin's statement was made during a meeting with high-ranking Russian military officials,

where he cautioned that Russia would seek to expand its territorial control in Ukraine if Kyiv and its Western allies

reject the Kremlin's demands in ongoing peace talks.

The Oreshnik missile was initially tested by Russia in a conventional configuration in November 2024, targeting a

Ukrainian factory. Putin has claimed the missile is impossible to intercept. He has also warned that Russia might use

the Oreshnik against countries supporting Ukraine that permit strikes inside Russia using long-range missiles provided

by those countries.

Putin has boasted about the Oreshnik's capabilities, stating that its multiple warheads can travel at speeds up to Mach

10 and are impervious to interception. He further claimed that a conventional strike using several Oreshnik missiles

could inflict damage equivalent to a nuclear attack. Russian state media has claimed the missile could reach a Polish

air base in 11 minutes and NATO headquarters in Brussels in 17 minutes. Currently, there is no way to determine whether

the missile carries a nuclear or conventional warhead before impact.

Intermediate-range missiles have a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,400 miles). Such weapons were prohibited

under a Cold War-era treaty that both the United States and Russia abandoned in 2019.

Previously, Russia has deployed tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, using Belarusian territory as a launchpad for its

full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Lukashenko has stated that Belarus possesses several dozen Russian

tactical nuclear weapons.

Putin and Lukashenko have previously indicated that the Oreshnik would be deployed to Belarus before the end of the

year.

In December 2024, while signing a security agreement with Lukashenko, Putin stated that even with Russia maintaining

control over the Oreshnik missiles, Belarus would be allowed to select targets. He noted that if the missiles were used

against targets closer to Belarus, they could carry a significantly larger payload.

In 2024, the Kremlin updated its nuclear doctrine, stating that any conventional attack on Russia supported by a nuclear

power would be considered a joint attack on Russia. This warning appeared intended to dissuade Western nations from

allowing Ukraine to strike Russian territory with long-range weapons and seemingly lowers the threshold for potential

Russian nuclear weapon use.

The updated Russian doctrine also extended Russia's nuclear umbrella to include Belarus.

Lukashenko has governed Belarus, a nation of 9.5 million people, for over three decades. His government has faced

repeated sanctions from Western nations due to its human rights record and for enabling Moscow's use of Belarusian

territory during the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.