Moscow, Minsk Sign New Security Agreement, Discuss Oreshnik Hypersonic Missile System Deployment In Belarus

Russia deployed nuclear weapons within Belarus in 2023, a move which the United States condemned as "irresponsible behavior" by Russia.

MOSCOW/MINSK - On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed a new security agreement, during which he requested the deployment of Russia's latest Oreshnik hypersonic missiles within Belarus.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko - Photo: Kremlin

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The intermediate-range missile, recently deployed in an attack on Dnipro, Ukraine, was confirmed by Putin to be equipped with a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) warhead which Russia says can attain speeds of up to mach 10.

MIRVs warheads can launch several separate warheads, each programmed to hit separate targets.

Putin has claimed that the Oreshnik hypersonic missile has “no analogues in the world” and said that the power of multiple systems used together is similar to that of a strike using a conventional nuclear warhead.

He clarified that while the Oreshnik missiles, capable of carrying nuclear warheads but currently equipped only with kinetic warheads, can inflict damage akin to that of conventional nuclear weapons, they do not qualify as weapons of mass destruction. He stressed that these missiles focus on precision and accuracy rather than widespread devastation.

Putin: Deployment Oreshnik Missiles In Belarus Is Possible, Says They Could Be Deployed In Late 2025, Offers Security Guarantees To Minsk