ISTANBUL 

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday that Russia’s latest hypersonic ballistic missile system, the Oreshnik, is already en route for deployment in Belarus, according to state news agency BELTA.

Asked by journalists in Moscow whether the system had arrived, Lukashenko replied: “It’s already on its way. Everything will be fine.”

He earlier announced that the Oreshnik would be deployed in Belarus before the end of the year, under an agreement reached with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Volgograd.

“By the end of the year, these weapons will be deployed in Belarus. Oreshnik will be on Belarusian soil,” he told a July 1 speech marking Belarus’ Independence Day.

Lukashenko described the move as a step to bolster national security, protect sovereignty, and deter external threats.

Earlier this month, the Defense Ministry of Belarus said Russian and Belarusian forces practiced planning for the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons and the deployment of Oreshnik during the Zapad-2025 joint exercises.

The Oreshnik, capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads, has a range of 5,500 kilometers and can strike targets at speeds of Mach 10. Its first experimental combat launch was conducted in November 2024.