Belarus shares borders with both Ukraine and Russia, serving as a crucial staging ground for Moscow during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russian troops have regularly launched attacks into Ukraine from Belarusian territory, and the two countries often conduct joint military exercises.
Putin states that Russian and Belarusian military forces have already chosen launch sites in Belarus for the new Oreshnik missile system.
Last fall, the Kremlin leader and Lukashenko signed a treaty offering Moscow’s security guarantees to Belarus, including the potential use of Russian nuclear weapons to deter any aggression.
This agreement follows the Kremlin’s revision of its nuclear doctrine, which for the first time included Belarus under the Russian nuclear umbrella amid escalating tensions with the West over the conflict in Ukraine.
Deploying tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, which shares an 1,084-kilometer (673-mile) border with Ukraine, would allow Russian aircraft and missiles to reach potential targets there more quickly if Moscow chooses to use them. It also expands Russia‘s ability to target NATO allies.
The head of Russia‘s missile forces has already stated that the Oreshnik, Russian for “hazelnut tree” and capable of carrying either conventional or nuclear warheads, can reach all of Europe.
While confirming that the first batch of Oreshnik missiles and related systems has been produced and entered service, he said, “Preparatory work is ongoing, and most likely, we will be done with it before the end of the year.”
Russia launched the first Oreshnik missile during a strike on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro last November. At the time, Putin claimed the attack was a response to Ukraine‘s use of U.S. and British long-range missiles against Russian territory.
Although specific details about the missile are scarce, defense experts believe that Oreshnik is likely an improved version of Russia‘s RS-26, also known as the Rubezh, first manufactured in 2011.
Such weapons were banned under a Soviet-era treaty, but Washington and Moscow abandoned it in 2019. Intermediate-range missiles can travel between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,400 miles).