Russia’s latest nuclear move appears to have sent a strong message to the West. Russian President Vladimir Putin has deployed the Oreshnik – a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile system – for combat purposes in an undisclosed location in Belarus.
Exiled Belarusian politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told The Telegraph how Russia is looking for ways to escalate the war with Ukraine. She claimed that Belarus was aiding Russia and that Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has been fueling Putin’s aggression.
The Belarus president allowed Moscow to have a military presence in their country, and the latest move featured the Oreshnik missile system, which has the capability to deploy hypersonic nuclear missiles.
Tsikhanouskaya said, “We see how on Belarusian territory, Mr. Lukashenko’s regime intensifies the presence of Russia. They are about to deploy nuclear weapons [to Belarus], Russian missiles.”
Following the warning, she explained that “about 300 Belarusian complex” are major contributors to Russia’s military-industrial complex. These companies actively support Moscow’s arms production and even drone construction. Lukashenko said, “So it looks like they’re preparing for escalation.”
🇷🇺 Russia unveils its new Oreshnik missile system for the first time
The system has been deployed on combat duty in Belarus
The Oreshnik missile travels through the upper atmosphere, making it invisible to Ukraine’s air defense radars — and effectively impossible to intercept pic.twitter.com/KNfglPTTzM
— The Other Side Media (@TheOtherSideRu) December 30, 2025
The politician claimed that she met Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, who was also aware of Putin’s latest military move. Tsikhanouskaya believed that this form of “escalation might affect not only Ukraine but also European countries.”
According to Reuters, Russia shared a video of the Oreshnik missile system on December 30, 2025. Later, satellite images confirmed that the missiles were located at the Belarusian airfield codenamed Krichev-6.
Previously, Lukashenko had confirmed that Belarus would station 10 of these missile systems. The Oreshnik missile system can fire an intermediate-range, nuclear-capable hypersonic ballistic missile with an estimated range of 5,500 kilometers.
As per a separate report from The Sun, Decker Eveleth, a nuclear weapons and deterrence analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA), claimed that Krychaw is a possible launch site of the missile system. With the missile travelling at Mach 11, it could hit London in just eight minutes.
Many believe that the footage was shared as a display of power to the West and the rest of Europe. It showcases that if push comes to shove, Vladimir Putin will not hesitate to escalate the situation in Ukraine.
In Ukraine’s, the non-nuclear Oreshniks have been tried, testing the split feature to launch three separate warheads to their targets. With 10 of these missile systems ready to fire from Belarus, it cements the fact that the Kremlin can deliver its missiles across Europe in a significantly shorter time.
In regards to Russia defeating Ukraine all they’d have to do is launch their ballistic missiles. But they didn’t want to incite a World War so they’ve just done it the traditional way. The orishank missile system that Russia has old now Oreshnik missile which if they wanted to…
— The Conscious Hour (@HourGregory) February 16, 2026
Kurt Volker, former special envoy to Ukraine for Donald Trump, shared his views about the potential threat with The Telegraph. The American official explained that missile control will be with Russia. “Let’s not get too alarmed… that this is now some kind of new threat. I think they talk about it. I think they may have exercised it, but I think there’s a lot more nuance about this,” Volker said.
The Kremlin had launched one of the warheads in Lviv, Ukraine. Additionally, with the U.S.-Russia nuclear treaty expired, fears remain regarding the potential for further conflict.
