Ukraine is assessing the threat posed by the gradual deployment of Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missile launch facilities on the territory of Belarus. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in an interview with the Belarusian independent media outlet Dzerkalo.
Points of attention
- President Zelenskyy urges NATO to recognize the “Oreshnik” missile launch facilities in Belarus as a legitimate target for protection against potential threats.
- The deployment of modern Shahed drones and the preparation for “Oreshnik” on Belarusian soil raise concerns about the safety of Ukrainian civilians and the energy sector.
"Oreshnik" in Belarus is a legitimate target for NATO — Zelenskyy
Lukashenko knows exactly what is happening on the territory of Belarus, Zelensky is sure.
Now Belarus knows exactly what is happening on its territory. It is no longer possible to say, as Lukashenko told me before after the start of the full-scale invasion, that missiles flew, and they have been here for a long time, and we do not control it.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
The President of Ukraine added that now the repeaters of modern Shahed drones are a new technique that has appeared on the territory of Belarus and helps to hit the Ukrainian civilian population and the energy sector. Because it is thanks to these repeaters that the adjustment is taking place.
We did everything so that three or four of them were gone. We had to do this because Russia used jet drones, but not only through Belarus. They were not only going through their territory, they were going with technological support from the territory of Belarus.
At the same time, as the head of state emphasizes, the next step is to prepare a site for the deployment of "Oreshnik" on the territory of Belarus.
It's all about new steps, not about old ones that didn't depend on Lukashenko, as he said. Now it definitely depends on him. And so we are now at a point where, in my opinion, Belarusians should understand all the risks.
According to the President of Ukraine, NATO should view Oreshnik as a legitimate target.
Ukraine will assess this threat. Lukashenko is making a big mistake. The issue is not only "Oreshnik". Everyone sees that they are now making more of a show. They have not yet brought all of "Oreshnik", they have brought the appropriate machines. And they are already doing everything to scare Europe. But he is playing in vain, because after these steps, without asking Lukashenko, the Russians will bring "Oreshnik" to the territory of Belarus.
In addition, as the president noted, the Belarusian authorities are talking about military exercises with the Russian Federation on the territory of Belarus.
Again. We'll see how big they will be. But when they were very massive, the offensive on the territory of Ukraine began. So all of these are definitely big risks for Ukraine. And, I think, big risks for Belarusians.
