Zelenskyy: Oreshnik missile system in Belarus poses threat to all of Europe

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that the deployment of Russia's Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile system in Belarus creates new risks for Europe, particularly for Belarus's immediate neighbours.

Zelenskyy recalled that Russia had the capacity for three Oreshnik launches, one of which was used against the city of Dnipro in November 2024, and another – as has been publicly reported today – was destroyed during a successful special operation by the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU).

Ukrainian intelligence has information that one missile from the initial three remains, while up to three more may have been produced this year, with plans to manufacture up to six annually.

Zelenskyy stressed that the announced deployment of the Oreshnik system in Belarus creates new security threats for Europe.

"Their range is 5,000 km, and they have a 'dead zone' of about 700 km. So Europeans – especially those in Eastern Europe, our Baltic colleagues and everyone else – need to pay attention to this. It is important to pay attention to these risks," Zelenskyy said.

The president also said Ukraine will share information with its partners about 25 Russian companies involved in the project that are not yet under Western sanctions.

Belarus has said that Russia's Oreshnik missile system will be put on combat duty in the country by the end of 2025.

In September, Belarusian authorities boasted that they had practised deploying the Oreshnik system during the joint Zapad-2025 (West-2025) exercises with Russia.