Reuters
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Russia on Tuesday released footage purporting to deploy a nuclear-capable hypersonic Oleshnik missile system to close ally Belarus. This is a move aimed at strengthening Russia’s ability to attack targets across Europe in the event of war.
State news agency TASS said it was the first time the Defense Ministry had unveiled the Oleshnik mobile missile system, but President Vladimir Putin has declared it impossible to intercept because the missile’s speed is reportedly more than 10 times the speed of sound.
The deployment, and the Russian government’s announcement that the missile was in operation in the country that borders Ukraine and NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, come at a time of heightened East-West tensions over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The move would allow Russian nuclear missiles to reach European targets slightly faster in any war.
Some Western experts said the incident underscored the Kremlin’s growing reliance on nuclear weapons threats to prevent North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries from supplying Ukraine with weapons capable of striking deep into Russia.
Two U.S. researchers said a study of satellite images suggests the Russian government is probably deploying missiles and mobile launchers at a former air base in eastern Belarus.
A video released by the Russian and Belarusian defense ministries on Tuesday did not reveal the location of the missile system. But footage showed the mobile launcher and its crew driving along a forest road, with specialized units camouflaging the system with nets.
A senior Russian officer was shown telling his troops that the system had officially been placed on combat duty, and talking about the missile crew’s regular training and reconnaissance routine as light snow fell.
Moscow tested a conventionally armed oleshnik (Russian for hazel tree) against targets in Ukraine in November 2024.
President Putin said that Oleshnik’s destructive power is comparable to nuclear weapons even when equipped with a conventional warhead. The intermediate missile has a range of up to 5,500 kilometers (3,415 miles) and can strike from Russia anywhere in Europe or the western United States.
Some Western officials have expressed skepticism about Oleshnik’s abilities. A U.S. official said in December 2024 that the weapon is not considered game-changing on the battlefield.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch ally of Putin and also in talks with US President Donald Trump’s administration, had already warned against installing the missiles.
He said that the deployment of “Oleshnik” would be no more than 12 people, but the defense minister said that the so-called offensive moves of Western adversaries made this step necessary.
President Lukashenko allowed Russian troops to use his country to enter Ukraine in February 2022, but he has not sent Belarusian troops to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.
