Europe Faces New Threat as Russia Stations Hypersonic Missiles in Belarus
US researchers have found that Russia is likely deploying new nuclear-capable hypersonic Oreshnik missiles at a former airbase in eastern Belarus.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to Reuters.
Satellite imagery analyzed by experts from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and the CNA research organization suggests that mobile Oreshnik launchers are being stationed near Krichev, about 190 miles east of Minsk and 300 miles southwest of Moscow.
The Oreshnik, a medium-range, surface-to-surface ballistic missile, is reportedly capable of speeds exceeding Mach 10, making it difficult to intercept.
The deployment aligns with President Vladimir Putin’s revised strategy to place nuclear weapons outside Russia for the first time since the Cold War. This move aims to deter NATO countries from supplying Kyiv with weapons capable of striking deep into Russian territory.
Belarusian officials confirmed that the missiles are being positioned in response to what they describe as “aggressive actions” by the West, while asserting that the move does not alter the European balance of power.
Experts note that the deployment also appears linked to planned US stationing of intermediate-range hypersonic missiles in Germany next year, signaling a tit-for-tat escalation in missile capabilities in the region. The site near Krichev may accommodate only three launchers, with additional units potentially based elsewhere in Belarus.
This development comes amid growing tensions over strategic arms control, with only weeks remaining before the expiration of the 2010 New START treaty, the last US-Russia agreement limiting strategic nuclear deployments.
Analysts warn that Moscow’s actions could complicate negotiations on arms reduction and heighten security concerns in Europe.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that the deployment of Russian Oreshnik missiles in Belarus poses a significant security threat not only to Ukraine but to all of Europe. He highlighted that the missiles create a “dead zone” of 700 kilometers and stressed the importance of European attention and support regarding this risk.
Zelenskyy also noted that Russia previously had three Oreshnik missiles, one of which was used against Dnipro in November 2024, another destroyed by Ukrainian forces, and a third possibly still operational.
As The Gaze reported earlier, in summer 2023, Ukrainian forces successfully destroyed one of Russia’s secretive medium-range ballistic missile systems, known as “Oreshnik” or officially “Kedr,” at the Kapustin Yar training ground in Russia’s Astrakhan region.
The operation, carried out jointly by Ukraine’s intelligence services, achieved “100% destruction” and was reported only to President Zelensky and select foreign leaders.
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