Russia moves its nuclear-capable missiles closer to Europe as weapons deployed in Belarus
Vladimir Putin previously said the weapons are "impossible" to intercept because of its speeds
Russia has reportedly deployed its nuclear-capable missile system in Belarus in a move said to boost Moscow's ability to strike targets across Europe.
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The country's Defence Ministry released a video on Tuesday claiming to show combat vehicles carrying the Oreshnik missile system.
Russia's president Vladimir Putin has previously declared the weapons as "impossible" to intercept because of its speeds which are reportedly more than ten times the speed of sound.
State news agency TASS said it was the first time the ministry had publicly shown the Oreshnik, with the deployment allowing Russian nuclear missiles to reach European targets slightly faster in the event of war with Europe.
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Russia’s Defense Ministry claims that the “Oreshnik” missile system has already entered combat duty in Belarus.
— KyivPost (@KyivPost) December 30, 2025
“Oreshnik” is an experimental Russian missile complex using ballistic missiles. It was first used in November 2024 during a strike on the city of Dnipro.
Its reported… pic.twitter.com/DKsjbLP8gS
The news comes just days after Donald Trump met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Florida to discuss Russia-Ukraine peace talks.
Mr Trump said the negotiations were "95 per cent complete" and added that Russia was serious about making progress following their "two-and-a-half hour" conversation over the phone before the meeting with Mr Zelenskyy.
But days before they met, Mr Trump warned: "Things like this end up in a third world war.
"Everybody keeps playing games like this, you'll end up in a third world war, and we don't want to see that happen."
Moscow first tested a conventionally armed Oreshnik against a target in Ukraine in November 2024.
Mr Putin previously described the weapon's destructive power as being comparable to that of a nuclear weapon, even when fitted with a conventional warhead.
Intermediate missiles have a range of up to 5,500km , which would enable them to strike anywhere in Europe or the western United States from Russia.
Andrey Bogodel, the deputy chief of the General Staff department of the Military Academy of Belarus, told TASS that the deployment of Oreshnik was an "anti-aggression warning to Western countries."
Mr Bogodel said: "Today, any good deed must, of course, be done with fists. Unfortunately, the world can no longer be organised any other way."
Reports have suggested Oreshnik weighs between 66,000 and 88,000 pounds and is also said to carry a warhead weighing up to 1.5 tons, approximately 3,300 pounds.
Mr Putin said earlier this month that the Oreshnik would enter combat duty before the year's end.