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.
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.
RELIANCE ON NUCLEAR THREAT
Some Western experts have said the development underlines the Kremlin’s 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 – 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 (3,415 miles), which would enable them to strike anywhere in Europe or the western United States from Russia.
SCEPTICISM ABOUT ORESHNIK'S 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.
