Lukashenko: Russian hypersonic missile ready in Belarus

TT

Published 2025-12-18 16.58

 

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko. Archive photo. Photo: Ramil Sitdikov/Pool Via AP/TT

The newly developed Russian hypersonic ballistic missile Oreshnik is in place in Belarus, the country's President Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

- Oreshnik has been in Belarus since yesterday. It is combat-ready, Lukashenko said in a speech on Thursday.

The hypersonic (five times or more than the speed of sound) missile was first used in a live attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro last year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said this summer that the missile, which has the capacity to carry nuclear weapons, had entered serial production.

Its speed and maneuverability make it difficult to shoot down.

Moscow has previously flagged that Oreshnik would be deployed on Belarusian soil by the end of 2025.

The former Soviet republic of Belarus is closely allied with Russia and was used as a staging ground for the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.