In this image made from video provided by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, A Russia's Oreshnik missile system is seen during a training in an undisclosed location in Belarus. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system has officially entered active service in Belarus. This development comes as U.S.-led negotiations aimed at ending the nearly four-year conflict in Ukraine reach a crucial juncture. The ministry shared a video demonstrating the mobile intermediate-range ballistic missile system during combat training exercises in a forested area.
The announcement follows remarks made by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who confirmed earlier this month that the Oreshnik systems had arrived in Belarus. He indicated that the country will host up to 10 of these missile systems. Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously stated that the Oreshnik would be operational before the end of the year during a meeting with senior military officials. He warned that Russia would pursue further territorial gains in Ukraine if Kyiv and its Western allies do not comply with the Kremlin’s demands in ongoing peace talks.
As negotiations progress, U.S. President Donald Trump recently hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his resort in Florida, asserting that the two nations were “closer than ever before” to a peace settlement. Despite this optimistic outlook, significant divisions remain between Moscow and Kyiv, particularly concerning military withdrawals and the status of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, one of the largest in the world.
Putin, seeking to project strength amid the ongoing conflict, emphasized the capabilities of the Oreshnik missile system. He highlighted that its multiple warheads can travel at speeds reaching Mach 10 and are reportedly difficult to intercept. During its first test—a conventional strike against a Ukrainian factory in November 2024—the missile demonstrated its potential for devastating impacts that could rival those of a nuclear attack.
The Belarusian Defense Ministry stated that the Oreshnik has a range of up to 5,000 kilometers (approximately 3,100 miles). Russian state media underscored the system’s speed, claiming it could reach an air base in Poland within 11 minutes and NATO headquarters in Brussels in just 17 minutes. The ambiguity over whether the missile carries a nuclear or conventional warhead prior to impact raises significant concerns.
Intermediate-range missiles, which can travel between 500 to 5,500 kilometers (approximately 310 to 3,400 miles), were previously banned under a treaty abandoned by both Washington and Moscow in 2019. Russia had earlier deployed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which it utilized for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022. Lukashenko has suggested that Belarus is hosting several dozen Russian tactical nuclear weapons.
During a security pact signing with Lukashenko in December 2024, Putin indicated that although Russia would maintain control over the Oreshnik missiles, Belarus would have a say in selecting targets. He mentioned that if these missiles are directed towards locations closer to Belarus, they could deliver a significantly heavier payload.
In 2024, the Kremlin released a revised nuclear doctrine asserting that any conventional attack on Russia, supported by a nuclear power, would be treated as a joint attack against the nation. This statement appears aimed at discouraging Western support for Ukraine’s use of longer-range weapons and suggests a lowered threshold for potential nuclear engagement by Russia. The revised doctrine also includes Belarus under the Russian nuclear umbrella.
Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus, a nation of 9.5 million people, for over three decades, has faced international condemnation and sanctions for human rights violations and for allowing Russia to utilize his country as a launchpad for the invasion of Ukraine. Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya remarked that the deployment of the Oreshnik missiles further entrenches Belarus’s military and political dependence on Russia.
