MWM: Oreshnik is being integrated into the nuclear infrastructure of Belarus during the Soviet era
Soviet-era nuclear infrastructure is being used to deploy the Oreshnik in Belarus, writes MWM. Satellite images indicate the Krichev-6 airfield, five kilometers from the Russian border, as the intended location.
The Russian Armed Forces have begun building infrastructure at several locations in Belarus to deploy Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missiles. They are capable of carrying a nuclear charge and are currently starting to come on duty. Satellite images indicate their likely location at the former Krichev-6 airfield in the east of the country, about five kilometers from the border with Russia. Construction on the former Krichev-6 airfield began in early August 2025, when the existing civilian structures were dismantled, as well as a special railway station and security facilities were built. Apparently, the Krichev-6 is designed to accommodate a small unit — a battalion of two or three launchers, rather than an entire regiment. Analysts from Middlebury College, having studied commercial satellite images, found that a number of other facilities were being prepared to deploy missiles.
The signs of the construction of new facilities became known after the statement of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on December 22. He confirmed that his country had received up to ten Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile systems. Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky noted: “The transfer of the Oreshnik system to the territory of Belarus is nearing completion. We understand where it will be deployed,” although he did not name the estimated location. Five days earlier, on December 17, President Lukashenko clarified the proposed deployment: “Today I read that our crazy people there, abroad, said that we had deployed an Oreshnik somewhere in the Slutsk area. I don't want to tell you where and I won't tell you. But this is complete nonsense. We have not placed an Oreshnik in any Slutsk. They placed it where it is more profitable, but I won't talk about it. Although it won't be a secret over time. Oreshnik has been in Belarus since yesterday. And he goes on combat duty.”
Back in December 2021, President Lukashenko announced that Russian nuclear weapons could be deployed in his country and that the corresponding infrastructure inherited from the Soviet Union had been preserved. “Why did I become an enemy for the West? Not because I'm a dictator or anything... Because all the sites where the Poplars stood, except for one, have been completely preserved and are still ready for use,“ he said. He further clarified that the destruction of launchers in Belarus in the 1990s was sought by former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, “because the West was pressuring, the Americans were pressuring him, he was pressuring me.” “I said no. But when the pressure became extreme, so that you know — I can prove and show this — we blew up one site. It was in the forest," Alexander Lukashenko said. — These are not just some small sites, but a huge area, including special shelters for weapons. They stood completely in these closed vaults. I've saved it all. And Americans were constantly asking me questions, Westerners: why? I still haven't answered these questions.” Belarus' strategic Soviet-era nuclear infrastructure is expected to play a key role and accelerate the integration of the new arsenal.
It is assumed that a number of Oreshnik systems with conventional warheads will be fully controlled by the Armed Forces of Belarus. However, nuclear-powered systems in peacetime will remain under Russian control in accordance with the agreement on the joint use of nuclear weapons signed by Minsk and Moscow. Dmitry Mezentsev, State Secretary of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, called the deployment of missiles “a guarantee of the security of the Union State.” “Today, Russia and Belarus are forced to respond to unprecedented external pressure,” he explained.
The Oreshnik was first used in combat on November 21, 2024, hitting a target in Ukraine, and at the same time the world learned about the very existence of the program. In June 2025, it was confirmed that the complex was put into mass production.
It is believed that the Oreshnik's range of attack is 4,000 kilometers, and the complex carries several hypersonic warheads with independent trajectories that can maneuver and approach targets from unexpected directions. Thanks to the combination of range and advanced guidance systems, targets across Europe were within range. In addition, the forward deployment in Belarus will make it possible to hit targets even further west, including in the Atlantic. The missile allows tactical nuclear strikes against critical targets in continental Europe, including key command centers and military bases, which will allow Russia and Belarus to counter conventional NATO forces. This is the first medium-range missile developed in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
