VLADIMIR Putin has deployed his deadliest weapon at Nato’s doorstep, Belarus’ exiled opposition leader has warned.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged Europe to “pay more attention to what is happening” in her country, where , has been moved to.
Deployment of a Russian Oreshnik hypersonic, nuclear-capable missile system for combat duty at an undisclosed location in BelarusCredit: AFP
Satellite imagery points to the possible Russian Oreshnik missile site In BelarusCredit: PlanetLabs
The launch of a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile at Plesetsk testing field in northern RussiaCredit: AFP
“We see how on Belarusian territory, Alexander Lukashenko’s regime has intensified the presence of Russia,” the politicians told The Telegraph .
“They are about to deploy nuclear weapons [to Belarus], Russian missiles. So it looks like they’re preparing for escalation.”
Tsikhanouskaya revealed that Volodymyr Zelensky, who she met recently, was aware of the risk as “this escalation might affect not only Ukraine but also European countries.”
“So we have to put more attention on what is happening in Belarus,” she added.
The Oreshnik is a mobile intermediate-range missile system that experts say can reach the UK within eight minutes.
It can carry nuclear warheads, but has so far only been deployed with conventional payloads.
In December, Russia’s ministry of defence released footage that they said showed an Oreshnik system being put on combat duty in neighbouring Belarus.
Lukashenko – Putin’s staunch ally in the war in Ukraine – also said that 10 Oreshnik systems would be stationed in the country.
This is a development that bolsters the Kremlin’s ability to deliver missiles across Europe at a significantly reduced time.
The exact location of the weapon was not revealed, but it is believed that they are stationed at a military installation site near the town of Krychau, close to the Russian border in eastern Belarus.
Satellite images shared last week show the site of the abandoned airfield, where several new buildings have been erected at the site and the railway tracks and station had been completely rebuilt.
Decker Eveleth, a nuclear weapons and deterrence analyst at the US-based think tank CNA, named the Krychau site as a possible Oreshnik location in late December.
He has now said that an examination of the new image confirmed that “heavy vehicles have arrived.”
“I believe probably at least two objects that are likely launchers, maybe three,” Eveleth wrote.
He added: “Also – placing the possible launchers/support vehicles in plain view before the garages are even up should suggest how fast they are moving forward with this.”
Kurt Volker, Donald Trump’s former special envoy to Ukraine, however, cast doubt on the strategic significance of the deployment, saying that ” there is a lot more nuance about this.”
“First off, the command and control of Russian nuclear weapons remains Russian command and control,” he told The Telegraph.
“If they’re in Russia, or if they’re a few hundred kilometres further forward in Belarus, it doesn’t really matter, they’re nuclear weapons, and they’re under Russian command and control, and they’re pointed at all of us.”
He continued: “Let’s not get too alarmed… that this is now some kind of new threat.”
The Oreshnik is one of many missiles that Putin has touted in numerous comments that analysts say are aimed at projecting strength and sending signals to the West and the rest of the world.
It was just last month that the warlord unleashed his “unstoppable” missile , just 40 miles from the border with Poland – sparking much outrage and panic in Kyiv.
Tsikhanouskaya’s warning to Europe comes as the Belarusian Defence Ministry announced the beginning of the next stage of combat readiness checks.
Lukashenko himself was shown personally inspecting his armed forces last week.
A number of military exercises involving ballistic and cruise missiles, including the Iskander system, are being carried out at several grounds in Belarus.
North Korea, another one of Russia’s allies in the full-scale invasion, is now dealing with the repercussions of sending thousands of troops to the frontline.
The regime said earlier today that it has completed a new housing district in Pyongyang for families of soldiers killed fighting in Ukraine.
Putin chairs a Security Council meeting in Moscow on January 21, 2026Credit: AFP
Russia’s Oreshnik missile system is seen during a training in an undisclosed location in BelarusCredit: AP
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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