US intelligence has concluded that Russia may again use its experimental medium-range ballistic missile, the so-called OreshniK, over Ukraine "in the coming days".
Points of attention
- US intelligence has raised concerns about Russia possibly launching a second attack on Ukraine using the experimental Oreshnik missile.
- The Oreshnik missile, first deployed on November 21, is a medium-range ballistic missile with smaller warheads, capable of flying between 500 to 5,500 km.
- Belarus' President Lukashenko has requested Putin to deploy the Oreshnik missile system in Belarus amidst growing tensions with NATO near the country's borders.
- The use of the Oreshnik missile poses a significant threat to regional stability, especially with NATO troops being deployed to the Belarusian borders.
- The situation remains tense, with uncertainties surrounding the potential dates, targets, and implications of Russia's use of the Oreshnik missile in the region.
Russia is preparing to use Oreshnik again against Ukraine
The official noted that Russia has only a few such missiles, and that they are equipped with smaller warheads than other missiles that Russia regularly launches over Ukraine, the publication notes.
At the same time, details regarding possible dates, times or potential targets are not reported.
The Oreshnik missile, as the Russians call it, was identified by the Pentagon as an experimental type of medium-range ballistic missile, created on the basis of the outdated Russian Rubezh model.
Medium-range missiles can fly from 500 to 5500 km. Such weapons were banned under a Soviet-era treaty that Washington and Moscow abandoned in 2019.
Russia first used an intermediate-range ballistic missile on November 21. Then the Russians shelled the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
Lukashenko complained to Putin about NATO and asked for "Oreshnik"
The self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Oleksandr Lukashenko, asked Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to place the Oreshnyk missile complex on his country's territory.
According to Lukashenka, Belarus is allegedly very worried about the situation in Western Europe, especially near the Belarusian borders from the side of Poland and Lithuania.
We assess this as an even greater danger than from warring Ukraine. The troops of Poland and Lithuania are stationed in the immediate vicinity of the Belarusian border, and NATO forces from other countries, including Germany, are deployed there. That is, the situation is very tense. Poland spends huge resources on arming its army. If they want to live in peace with us, as they claim, then why spend billions of dollars on weapons? Lukashenko hypocritically said.
And he publicly asked Putin to place "Oreshnik" on the territory of Belarus, because this "would seriously calm some "minds" who are already ready to fight against Belarus."
