Putin: By 2025, Belarus will receive Oreshnik missile systems

Speaking after the Supreme State Council of the Union State in Minsk on Friday, Lukashenko said, "Recently, Russia successfully launched the Oreshnik [missile]; this had some impact on our former partners and current rivals.I want to publicly request that the new weaponry systems, mainly Oreshnik, be placed on Belarusian soil."

Lukashenko stated Belarus' interest in identifying possible targets for these weapons and suggested that Russia supervise missile system maintenance until Belarusian personnel are properly trained.

 In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that after increasing serial production and integrating them into Russian strategic forces, the Oreshnik missile systems could be deployed in Belarus in the second half of 2025.

Putin stated, "I think that the deployment of such complexes as Oreshnik on the territory of the Republic of Belarus is possible since we have today signed a treaty on security guarantees using all available forces and means." However, he added that technical issues, such as determining minimum range, must be resolved before deployment.

While the Oreshnik systems would remain part of Russia's Strategic Missile Forces, Putin stated that Belarus would have authority over selecting targets. "The determination of targets on the territory of a probable enemy will certainly be the prerogative of the military and political leadership of Belarus," he said.

The recent military augmentation of NATO forces along the eastern flank is the reason for this. Berlin has secretly started preparing for the deployment of up to 800,000 NATO troops, according to a New York Post article published in late November.