Russia to deploy new missile system in Belarus, Lukashenko says
Alexander Lukashenko announced that the Russian missile system Oriesznik will soon be deployed in Belarus. The weapon will be installed near the country's eastern border.
"From one day to the next, we will have Oriesznik. We agreed with President Putin that the next system will be installed in Belarus even earlier than in Russia," Lukashenko said at a press conference, quoted by the independent Belarusian service Zerkalo.io.
"We are not shying away from nuclear weapons, no. But it is a terrible weapon. And Oriesznik is a terrible weapon, but not as much. Let it be with us," he added.
The authoritarian leader of Belarus announced that the systems would be deployed "closer to Smolensk." He stated that plans to deploy the Oriesznik in Belarus emerged "in response to the desire and possibility of deploying medium-range missiles by the Americans in Europe."
Asked about what the phrase "from one day to the next" means, Lukashenko replied that he has not yet agreed on a date with Putin.
"First of all, there is no rush. Of course, I understand that Russia also needs this Oriesznik, and so on. And it's not that simple. When I talked about ten sets, I was joking," he added. "A joke for the journalists. Of course, I realize that ten sets is a huge amount of money. And Russia's industry does not only produce Orieszniki. It won’t even produce that in three years. I understand that. One set of Oriesznik is enough to secure Belarus," Lukashenko said.
Putin announced delivery in the second half of 2025
In December 2023, Lukashenko and Putin signed an agreement on mutual security guarantees, which provides for the supply of Oriesznik ballistic missiles to Belarus.
Putin announced that the delivery could happen in the second half of 2025 when production of these systems in Russia increases. Oriesznik is a medium-range ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear loads, used by Russia in an attack on Ukrainian defense plants in Dnipro.
After the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, which utilized Belarusian territory, Russia announced the intention to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of its ally. In December 2023, Lukashenko maintained that the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus was completed. Still, among Western experts, there is no definitive assessment of this issue because it is difficult to verify.
Contrary to the statements of the Belarusian military authorities and Lukashenko himself, all actions related to this weapon depend on Moscow's decisions. According to experts, the topic is used for propaganda purposes.
