Belarus has officially confirmed the deployment of Russia’s nuclear-capable Oreshnik hypersonic missile on its territory, releasing rare video footage that underscores a sharp escalation in global hypersonic weapons signalling. The announcement comes just days after China published video evidence of a test-launch of its own YJ-20 hypersonic anti-ship missile, highlighting how major powers are increasingly using visual disclosures to reinforce deterrence narratives.
In a video published by the Belarusian Defence Ministry on December 30, 2025, mobile Oreshnik launchers are seen moving through forested terrain, taking up firing positions and being concealed under camouflage netting by missile troops. The footage marks the first visual confirmation of the system’s presence in Belarus, following weeks of official statements from Minsk and Moscow.
“After the missile system was readied for its designated deployment and its inspection by a joint comprehensive group, a battalion of Oreshnik missile launchers has begun to accomplish assignments of its combat duty in designated areas on the territory of our country,” the ministry said in a statement carried by Russian state agency TASS.
The confirmation follows an earlier announcement by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who had publicly acknowledged that the missile system was being deployed, framing it as a necessary response to what he described as growing threats from neighbouring NATO states. Neither Minsk nor Moscow has disclosed the precise location of the launchers. However, US researchers cited by Reuters, after analysing satellite imagery, suggested that the system may be based at a former airfield near Krichev, around 307 kilometres east of Minsk and roughly 478 kilometres southwest of Moscow. These claims could not be independently verified by The Asia Live.
The Oreshnik missile represents one of Russia’s most advanced strategic systems. Believed to feature Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs), the missile can carry multiple nuclear warheads capable of striking different targets with high precision. It was first used operationally in November 2024, when Russia fired the missile against a target in Ukraine. Many Western and regional analysts interpreted that test as a direct response to the United States and the United Kingdom supplying Ukraine with longer-range strike weapons.
Shortly after that test, President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of Oreshnik systems to Belarus on December 6, 2024, citing repeated requests from Lukashenko to bolster the country’s security posture. Lukashenko argued at the time that hosting the missile would “seriously calm down some ‘minds’ that are already prepared to wage war against Belarus,” a statement widely criticised in the West, where he is often portrayed as closely aligned with Kremlin interests.
Putin has repeatedly emphasised the missile’s capabilities, describing Oreshnik as effectively “uninterceptable” due to speeds exceeding Mach 10 and highly unpredictable flight trajectories. He compared its impact to that of a meteorite, claiming that the missile’s warheads can reach temperatures above 7,000 degrees Fahrenheit. According to Putin, a coordinated salvo of such missiles could inflict destruction comparable to that of a nuclear strike, even before accounting for their actual nuclear payloads. The Russian president also announced in November 2025 that Oreshnik had entered serial production.
Pro-Russian military commentators argue that deploying Oreshnik in Belarus strengthens regional deterrence, particularly in light of NATO’s military posture, Ukraine’s long-range strikes into Russian territory, and plans to deploy US intermediate-range missiles, such as the SM-6, in Germany. Western experts, however, view Belarus’ stated security concerns as largely rhetorical. They note that the deployment builds on earlier steps, including the stationing of Russian tactical nuclear weapons and Iskander short-range ballistic missiles in Belarus, as well as a 2024 security pact extending Russia’s nuclear umbrella over the country. Under that arrangement, Belarus can reportedly nominate targets, while Russia retains full operational control.
Analysts warn that positioning Oreshnik in Belarus significantly enhances Russia’s ability to threaten NATO territory. With a reported range exceeding 5,000 kilometres, the missile places much of Europe within reach, including Poland, Lithuania, Germany and even NATO’s headquarters in Brussels. Ukrainian officials have previously claimed that an Oreshnik launch from Belarus could reach Kyiv in under two minutes, raising concerns that the system may be intended as much for coercive signalling toward Europe as for use in the Ukraine conflict.
Putin himself has openly challenged NATO using the missile’s capabilities. “If they doubt the Oreshnik, let them suggest a target for us to hit, maybe something in Kyiv,” he said last year. “They can concentrate all their air defence and missile defence forces there, and we will strike. Let’s see what happens.”
The Belarus deployment comes amid heightened Russia–NATO tensions. Earlier this month, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned that Russia could attack a NATO member within five years and urged allies to prepare for the possibility of war. Putin, while denying any desire for conflict with Europe, said Russia was ready “right now” if confronted.
Against this backdrop, China has also drawn attention to its rapidly advancing hypersonic arsenal. A video released by China Military Bugle, an official account under the PLA News Media Center, showed the YJ-20 hypersonic anti-ship missile being launched from the Type 055 destroyer Wuxi during what was described as a “finalization test.” Such tests are generally seen as the final major step before a system enters production.
The footage shows the missile cold-launched from an aft vertical launch system cell, ejecting under gas pressure before its solid-fuel motor ignites and accelerates it away from the ship. While Beijing provided no details on the missile’s range, speed or test location, analysts note that the YJ-20 was among the advanced weapons unveiled around China’s Victory Day Parade on September 3, 2025.
Chinese military analysts say the YJ-20 is designed to attack surface targets at a steep, near-vertical angle during its terminal phase while maintaining hypersonic speeds, complicating interception by shipborne defences. Believed to be a boost-glide weapon with a biconic aerodynamic design, the missile is estimated to have a range of 1,000 to 1,500 kilometres.
Together, the Oreshnik deployment and the YJ-20 test underscore how hypersonic weapons are becoming central to the strategic calculations of major powers, reshaping deterrence dynamics across both Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
