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Russia Moves Oreshnik-Equipped Missile Units Into Belarus, Ukraine’s Spy Chief Says
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Russia has stationed elements of its 101st Missile Brigade in Belarus, a formation equipped with the Oreshnik intermediate-range missile system, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Oleh Ivashchenko on September 7.
Ivashchenko told Ukrinform that Ukrainian intelligence currently sees no evidence that Belarus itself is preparing to directly enter Russia’s war against Ukraine. Kyiv assesses the immediate military threat from the Belarusian direction as low.
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However, Russia’s growing use of Belarusian territory for missile and drone-related infrastructure remains a significant concern.
“However, we are concerned that Belarus has permitted the deployment on its territory of radio-signal relay stations that guide Russian Shahed-type strike UAVs toward Ukrainian civilian targets and critical infrastructure,” Ivashchenko said.
He added: “We also note the deployment in Belarus of units of the 101st Missile Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces, which is equipped with the Oreshnik intermediate-range missile system.”
The deployment gives Russia another potential platform for positioning long-range missile capabilities closer to Ukraine and NATO’s eastern flank, even as Minsk stops short of directly committing its own forces to the war.
Ivashchenko also raised a broader question over how much control Belarusian authorities retain over Russian military activity inside the country.
“If Belarus did not grant such permission, then this indicates that Minsk no longer controls Russia’s activities on its own territory,” he said.
Ukraine has monitored Belarus closely throughout the full-scale war because Russian forces used Belarusian territory during the initial invasion in February 2022, and Moscow has continued maintaining military infrastructure and personnel there.
In general terms, the “Oreshnik” is an intermediate-range ballistic missile with nuclear capability that travels through the stratosphere, making it extremely difficult to intercept.
It is equipped with a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) system, meaning a single missile can carry several warheads that separate in flight to strike different targets, though they are not independently guided after release.
For now, Ukrainian intelligence does not assess Belarusian forces themselves as preparing for a new offensive against Ukraine.
Previously, Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Sekreta has claimed that Minsk would use its “entire arsenal” if Ukrainian forces crossed Belarus' state border, a statement that comes amid renewed rhetoric from Belarusian officials over alleged threats from Ukraine.
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