Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced on Thursday that a Russian hypersonic, nuclear-capable missile, known as the Oreshnik, has been deployed in Belarus and is now “on combat duty.”
The missile, unveiled by Moscow last year, was previously used to strike the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
Russia had already stationed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus in 2023 and indicated that Oreshnik missiles could be deployed there by the end of 2025. Lukashenko confirmed that the missile “has been in Belarus since yesterday.”
Earlier this year, Belarus conducted military exercises near its western border with the EU and NATO during the Zapad-2025 (“West-2025“) drills, practicing the deployment of Oreshnik missiles.
