EditRussia shows off deployment of nuclear-capable Oreshnik missiles in Belarus
A senior Russian officer was shown telling troops that the systems had officially been placed on combat duty
Russia released video on Tuesday of what it said was the deployment of its nuclear-capable hypersonic Oreshnik missile system in close ally Belarus, a move meant to boost Moscow’s ability to strike targets across Europe in the event of a war.
đ·đșđ§đŸ Russia Deploys Oreshnik Missiles in Belarus
Hypersonic semi-ballistic missiles now positioned to reach all of Europe, with an estimated range of 4,000 km. Germany might be feeling the heat. pic.twitter.com/N2poL7yUaN
— WAR (@warsurveillance) December 29, 2025
The state news agency TASS said it was the first time that the Defence Ministry had shown off the Oreshnik mobile missile systems, which President Vladimir Putin has declared are impossible to intercept because of missile speeds reportedly more than 10 times the speed of sound.
The deployment, and Moscow’s announcement that the missiles have entered active service in a country that borders Ukraine and NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, comes at a time of heightened East-West tensions over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The move would allow Russian nuclear missiles to reach European targets slightly faster in any war, with Russian state media claiming flight times as short as 11 minutes to Polish air bases and 17 minutes to NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Reliance on nuclear threat
Some Western experts have said the development underlines the Kremlinâs growing reliance on the threat of nuclear weapons as it seeks to deter NATO members from supplying Ukraine with weapons that can strike deep inside Russia.
Two U.S. researchers have said that, according to their study of satellite images, Moscow is probably stationing the missiles and their mobile launchers at a former air base in eastern Belarus.
Video released by the Russian and Belarusian defence ministries on Tuesday did not disclose the location of the missile systems. But the footage showed mobile launchers and their crews driving along forest roads and specialist troops camouflaging the systems with netting.
A senior Russian officer was shown telling troops that the systems had officially been placed on combat duty and, as light snow fell in the background, speaking of regular training and reconnaissance routines for the missile crews.
Moscow tested a conventionally armed Oreshnik â Russian for hazel tree – against a target in Ukraine in November 2024.
Putin has said the Oreshnik’s destructive power is comparable to that of a nuclear weapon, even when fitted with a conventional warhead. Intermediate missiles have a range of up to 5,500 km, which would enable them to strike anywhere in Europe or the western United States from Russia.
Russian propaganda accounts on social media publisher the approximate time of arrival in selected European capitals as follows:
Kyiv: ~450 km â 1 minute and 51 seconds
Brussels: ~1,650 km â 7 minutes and 20 sec
Warsaw: ~400 km â 1 min and 40 sec
Berlin: ~950 km â 4 min and 10 sec
Paris: ~1,800 km â 8 min
London: ~1,900 km â 8 min and 30 sec
Echoes of Cold War intimidation
The deployment echoes Cold War tactics of nuclear intimidation. In the 1980s Euromissiles crisis, Soviet SS-20 deployments prompted NATO’s dual-track response, sparking massive anti-nuclear protests across Western Europe that mobilized millions against U.S. Pershing II and cruise missile placements. Putin may be seeking to replicate such divisions, hoping to stir public pressure on governments to reduce support for Ukraine amid fears of escalation.
Yet contemporary Western societies appear more resilient to this form of nuclear blackmail. Repeated Russian threats since 2022 have met with limited public panic, as European leaders and analysts view them as coercive signalling rather than imminent danger. Unlike the 1980s peace movements, no widespread disarmament campaigns have emerged in response to recent deployments, reflecting war-weariness toward Moscow’s rhetoric and stronger transatlantic unity in backing Kyiv.
Scepticism about Oreshnikâs capabilities
Some Western officials have expressed scepticism about the Oreshnik’s capabilities. One U.S. official said in December 2024 that the weapon was not seen as a game-changer on the battlefield.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch ally of Putin who has also embarked on talks with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, had already flagged the installation of the missiles.
He said that not more than a dozen “Oreshniks” would be deployed, a step his defence minister said was necessitated by what he called aggressive moves by Western opponents.
Lukashenko allowed Russian troops to use his country to enter Ukraine in February 2022, but has not deployed Belarusian troops to fight alongside Moscow’s forces in Ukraine.
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union stationed various nuclear delivery systems in Belarus, including intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) such as the mobile SS-25 (Topol).
After the USSR’s dissolution in 1991, Belarus inherited these missiles (along with tactical warheads), briefly making it a de facto nuclear state. Under international pressure and agreements like the Lisbon Protocol (1992) and Budapest Memorandum (1994), all nuclear warheads and delivery systems transferred to Russia by 1996, rendering Belarus nuclear-free – until recent Russian redeployments beginning in 2023.
With additional content by g.g.
Caption: An Oreshnik missile carried by truck [@MarioNawfal on X]
Updated: December 30, 2025 - 18:16
