Belarus sets up bases for “Oreshnik”, Zelenskyy warns of danger

Russia is preparing sites in Belarus to host “Oreshnik” missile systems, a move fully coordinated with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. The self-proclaimed president maintains full control over Russian forces operating in Belarus, and the Belarusian side now provides direct technological support for attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and civilians.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this in an interview with Belarusian independent media outlet Dzerkalo.

Call to NATO and threat from “Oreshnik”

Zelenskyy stressed that the deployment of Russian missile systems on Belarusian territory poses a challenge to all of Europe. He insisted that the Alliance should not ignore the situation.

“In my view, NATO should regard "Oreshnik" as a legitimate target. Ukraine will assess this threat. Lukashenko is making a big mistake,” Zelenskyy said.

The president noted that Russia is currently staging more of a “show” to intimidate Western countries, as the missiles themselves have not yet been deployed. However, the vehicles needed to operate the systems are already in Belarus. He warned that in the future, Moscow may not need Lukashenko’s permission to fully deploy “Oreshnik” to Belarusian training grounds.

“The next step is preparing sites for "Oreshnik" in Belarus. These are new measures, not the old ones that did not depend on Lukashenko, as he claimed. Now it definitely depends on him. That’s why, in my view, Belarusians need to understand all the risks,” Zelenskyy said.

Technological support for drone strikes

Zelenskyy also detailed how Belarus is aiding Russia’s daily attacks. New equipment, including relay stations for modern “Shahed” drones, has been deployed on Belarusian territory, helping to coordinate strikes on Ukrainian civilians and energy targets.

“We ensured that three or four of them were no longer operational. We had to do it because Russia was using jet drones… they relied on technological support coming from Belarusian territory,” he explained.

The president recalled that at the start of the full-scale invasion, Lukashenko tried to justify that he did not control the Russian missiles flying from his territory. Those arguments no longer hold. Zelenskyy says that in the current situation, Belarusians must be fully aware of the risks created by their leadership.