Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed that the “Oreshnnik” medium-range missile system will be put into combat service in the country in December, a strategic move that further strains the geopolitical standoff with the West.

During a working visit to the Vitebsk region, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko made the announcement, calling “Oreshnnik” a “terrible weapon” and sending a clear warning message to his “opponents abroad.” The decision, which will be taken jointly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, seeks to establish a military counterweight in a context of escalation in the region.

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The Belarusian leader stressed that the deployment of the system is not an act of aggression, but a deterrence measure. “We can strike if things get ugly,” Lukashenko said, advising his opponents “not to get into trouble.” This stance underlines the perception of threat that Minsk and Moscow have with respect to the Eurasian security dynamics, using the conflict in Ukraine as a backdrop.

Lukashenko recalled that the peace agreements reached in Minsk on Ukraine were allegedly undermined by the opposition, who opted for “deception”, which led to the current situation in Eastern Europe. According to the president, the genesis of the military operation in Ukraine lies in the oppression and persecution of the Russian-speaking population in Donbas, a central argument in the rhetoric of Belarus and Russia.

The “Oreshnnik” missile system gained notoriety last year when Russia used it in an attack on a major Ukrainian military-industrial facility in Dnepropetrovsk. The missile stands out for its ability to cause devastating damage; When used in groups, its impact is comparable to that of nuclear weapons, without being classified as a weapon of mass destruction.

The decision to deploy the “Oreshnnik” in Belarus has been brewing since last year, when Lukashenko formally asked Putin to station the last Russian weapons in the republic. After the Russian announcement of the start of serial production and the delivery of the first model to the troops, the question of its supply to Belarus was finalized, with experts already selecting strategic locations for its installation on Belarusian territory

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