Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko announced on Tuesday, Dec. 10 that Belarus plans to position Russian Oreshnik missiles as close as possible to their targets.
Lukasenko said there are over 30 potential locations for their deployment, and the most optimal site is currently being selected.
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As reported by the official Belarusian news agency BelTA, Lukashenko made this statement during a trip to the city of Borisov.
“Everything is carefully planned today. We are now considering where and at which sites to place these weapons. We still have sites for placing strategic nuclear missiles,” he said.
Lukashenko said that he had requested Russian President Vladimir Putin to deploy the missiles on Belarusian territory and that, according to the agreement with Putin, Belarus would determine the targets: “We will press the button together, God forbid, if necessary. But we will define the targets. He [Putin] agreed.”
He said that the installation would be constructed in Belarus, while Russia would supply the missiles for free in the second half of 2025.
According to analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), positioning the Oreshnik system in Belarus does not increase the risks of ballistic missile strikes on Ukraine or NATO countries.
Oreshnik is the term Russia uses for its new missile, which some sources suggest is merely a code name designed to intimidate the West by creating the impression that Russia possesses a new, unknown missile but that is actually a derivative of the RS-26 Rubezh (NATO SS-X-31) intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) which has a range of over 2,000 kilometers. Its official designation has not yet been confirmed.
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