Self-proclaimed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has announced that the Oreshnik missile system is entering combat duty in the country. He made the announcement while speaking at the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, according to Russian media reports.
According to Lukashenko, the Belarusian armed forces are allegedly relying on “domestic products,” and a “Belarusian school of rocket engineering” has been created in the country, with the production of small arms and ammunition organized. He also said that Minsk and Moscow are implementing a “set of strategic deterrence measures,” which includes tactical nuclear weapons and the deployment of a regional troop grouping on Belarusian territory.
The Russian military first used the Oreshnik missile on November 21, 2024, striking a Ukrainian defense industry facility in Dnipro. It is claimed that the missile was used in a non-nuclear configuration.
In December last year, Lukashenko publicly asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to deploy this weapon in Belarus, to which Putin agreed. Russian media also reported that the Oreshnik was planned to be transferred to Belarus by the end of this year.