Russia on Tuesday announced its nuclear-capable Oreshnik intercontinental ballistic missile have entered active service in neighbouring Belarus as efforts continue to end the war in Ukraine.
Russian and Belarusian defence ministries released video on Tuesday of the missile systems being placed in Belarus, although it has not been revealed where exactly they were deployed.
“The Oreshnik missile division began performing combat duty tasks in designated areas in the country,” Belarus’s defence ministry said. Being Russia’s closest ally, Belarus also borders NATO countries Poland, Latvia and Lithuania. With a range of 5,500km, Oreshnik intercontinental ballistic missile is capable of striking the US from Russia.
The development comes after comments made by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December, when he said the Oreshnik system would be operational by this month.
Speaking at a meeting with top Russian military leaders, Putin warned that Russia would seek to broaden its territorial control in Ukraine if Kyiv and its Western partners refused to meet the Kremlin’s conditions in peace talks.
The statement arrives at a delicate moment in Russia-Ukraine negotiations. Over the weekend, Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at his Florida resort, claiming that Moscow and Kyiv were “closer than ever” to achieving a peace agreement.
Comments
Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *