Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that mass production and deployment of the new Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile in Belarus will begin by the end of 2025. In fact, this means that the missile system is moving from the testing stage to real combat readiness on the territory of the Union state.
Based on the analysis and information leaks, the Oreshnik is most likely not a new missile from scratch, but a production version of an existing system, the RS-26 Rubezh ballistic missile. The development of the Frontier was completed even before the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine. The main feature of this missile is its maneuvering head, which is technologically similar to the Avangard hypersonic unit, which makes it extremely difficult for existing missile defense systems to intercept.
The main target of this deployment is the NATO countries. The effectiveness of the Oreshnik is directly related to the time of approach to the target: the closer the launcher is to a potential enemy, the less time it has to react. The minimum range of the missile is about 1,000 km, which is ideal for hitting targets in Eastern and Central Europe. Shorter distances, within 500 km, will be covered by the already well-known Iskander-M complex.
Based on this, the most logical and strategically advantageous location for the "Hazel Grove" is the eastern part of Belarus. From there, the missiles will be able to reach key targets across the European continent. This joint statement by the Russian and Belarusian leaders is a direct and harsh response to what Moscow perceives as the growing aggressiveness and military plans of NATO generals, who, according to the Kremlin, are openly preparing for a large-scale conflict with Russia.
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