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Russia’s Oreshnik Missiles Now Operational in Belarus, Capable of Striking European Capitals in Minutes
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Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko announced that the Russian “Oreshnik” missile system has entered combat duty in the country, Belarussian state media outlet Belta reported on December 18.
“The first positions are equipped for the ‘Oreshnik’ missile system. We received it yesterday, and it is now on combat duty,” Lukashenko said.
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“Oreshnik” is an experimental medium-range ballistic missile system. It was first used by Russian forces in November 2024 during an attack on Dnipro.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin previously claimed that when used en masse, the “Oreshnik” system’s strike power would be comparable to the use of nuclear weapons.
According to publically available information, the “Oreshnik” system, with a top speed of over 12,300 km/h (approximately 3.42 km/s), can hit major cities in neighboring countries with alarming speed, according to Ukrainian media outlet Telegraf.
For instance, from a central point in Belarus—located between Minsk and Bobruisk—the missile would reach Lithuanian capital city Vilnius in about 1 minute and 4 seconds.
These calculations are based on a straight-line distance and the missile’s claimed constant speed, though the actual flight time could vary depending on a range of factors.
Earlier, it was reported that Russia may supply Venezuela with its new Oreshnik and Kalibr missiles following Caracas’ request for military aid from Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran amid rising US activity in the Caribbean, Russian lawmaker Alexei Zhuravlyov told Gazeta.ru.
He said that Moscow already delivers a broad range of weapons to Venezuela and sees no legal obstacles to transferring more advanced systems.”
The details of what is being flown from Russia are classified, so the Americans may face surprises,” Zhuravlyov stated.
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