Lukashenko expects to deploy 10 Russian Oreshnik systems in Belarus

Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, anticipates that Russia will initially give Belarus ten Oreshnik missile systems, but that number may later rise.

Lukashenko said that at the first stage, Moscow should transfer ten units of Oreshnik missile systems to Minsk. The Belarusian news agency BELTA reported this news.

Russian troops used this medium-range ballistic missile to strike Ukraine’s city of Dnipro on November 21.

“I believe there will be ten deployments initially, and we’ll continue to monitor the situation.” If the Russians want to deploy more, we will deploy more,” Lukashenko said.

In 2025, Belarus may deploy the Oreshnik system, which Moscow used to scare the West after the Western allies authorized Ukraine to launch long-range missiles to strike military targets inside Russia.

The self-proclaimed president of Belarus earlier stated that the deployment of the Oreshniks will minimize the distance to the targets. Lukashenko did not specify which targets, but it is obvious that he meant the EU countries. After all, Russia has been regularly launching missile strikes against Ukraine for almost three years.

On November 24, the Security Service of Ukraine showed the wreckage of the Oreshnik ballistic missile that Russia fired at Ukraine’s Dnipro. It said that fragments of the Oreshnik missile, which the Pentagon believes is based on the Russian RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile, would be analyzed, AP reported.

The released footage shows metal fragments of the missile, named Kedr, placed on a green artificial lawn in front of a camouflage net.

On November 28, Russian ruler Vladimir Putin announced that decision-making centers in Kyiv could become targets for the new Oreshnik missile used during the Dnipro attack.

On December 6, Putin suggested deploying the Oreshnik missile system in Belarus.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is currently using his Oreshnik to intimidate US President-elect Donald Trump, preventing him from ending the Russian-Ukrainian war.