Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed that the country’s powerful hypersonic missiles, Oreshnik, will be stationed in Belarus once they are fully operational.
Speaking in Minsk on Friday alongside Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Putin revealed that the advanced missiles, capable of traveling at speeds up to ten times the speed of sound, would be part of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces. The missiles will also be deployed in Belarus, he added.
Lukashenko, who has long been aligned with Moscow, asked about housing some of the Oreshniks in Belarus, given Russia’s existing nuclear presence in the country. He also made it clear that the weapons’ targets would be decided by Belarus’s leadership, with Russian specialists handling their deployment.
The move further strengthens the military ties between the two nations as tensions continue to rise in the region.
