Putin says the Oreshnik missile system is also new for Belarus

Russia plans to deploy its new Oreshnik missile system, which was recently used against Ukraine for the first time, in neighboring Belarus as a deterrent to the West.

“These bases will be put into service by the Strategic Missile Forces of Russia and, at the same time, we will start using them on the territory of​​​​Belarus,” President Vladimir Putin said in Minsk Friday during talks with the leader of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.

Putin named the second half of 2025 as the deadline for using what he described as a “terrible” weapon.

Russia fired the newly developed medium-range missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in November as a warning and deterrence.

According to Moscow, this was in response to the authorization to use Western long-range missiles in Ukraine to attack Russian territory.

Lukashenko, whose country borders Ukraine and has backed a full-scale invasion by Russia in 2022, urged Putin to deploy the new military in Belarus.

At the meeting on Friday, the two presidents signed an agreement on mutual security guarantees.

With this, nuclear-armed Russia assured its neighbor that its full arsenal could be used in the event of a live attack from outside.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Putin has stationed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, but control of the warheads remains in Moscow.

Minsk and Moscow celebrate 25 years as a united state

Meanwhile, in the Belarusian capital Minsk, the two states celebrated on Friday 25 years since the establishment of their union state, which until now has been mostly on paper.

However, the new treaty on security guarantees defines the obligations regarding the protection and defense of the sovereignty and independence of Belarus and Russia.

During his visit, Putin recalled that the use of nuclear weapons is laid down in Russia's new nuclear doctrine.

According to this, Russia can also use its nuclear weapons in the event of an attack on conventional weapons and a threat related to Russia.

Lukashenko, who is considered the last dictator in Europe, holds on to power largely thanks to Putin. The 70-year-old is running for president again in January after more than 30 years in office.