"Show-off"? Defence Express doubted that "Oreshnik" is already on combat duty in Belarus

On December 30, the Ministry of Defense of Belarus showed the process of putting the Russian Oreshnik complex on combat duty. The Ukrainian military portal Defence Express, after analyzing the footage, questioned whether this was a show-off, writes UNN.

"The published video shows a staged ceremony and individual vehicles of the complex. In particular, only three vehicles were captured on camera: security, communications, and support. The main component - the self-propelled ballistic missile launcher itself - was never demonstrated," the material says.

Two of the three demonstrated vehicles - presumably a combat duty support vehicle and a communications vehicle - are similar to the equipment included in the Yars missile system.

"The complete identity of the Oreshnik support vehicles to those used in the Yars complex once again confirms the theory that this medium-range missile was created on its basis by removing, most likely, the third stage," Defence Express explains.

The portal also noted that the footage of the formation shows "only approximately 70 military personnel, which can hardly correspond to the штатный состав (staffing) of even one complex, which should include several launchers, a command post, numerous communication and support vehicles."

"Thus, with a high degree of probability, there is currently no actual combat duty of a combat-ready complex on the territory of Belarus. This, of course, does not exclude the beginning of a gradual deployment of the military unit of the "Strategic Missile Forces" of the Russian Federation on the territory of this country, which is to receive missiles and achieve combat readiness in 2026 or even later," the portal's material says.

Context

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin stated that on November 21, 2024, Russia struck Dnipro with a "ballistic missile with a non-nuclear hypersonic warhead" of medium range.

It was later revealed that the strike was carried out with a different weapon, namely the new Oreshnik ballistic missile. Putin also stated that Ukraine "has no means" to counter the new Oreshnik missiles.

On December 30, the Ministry of Defense of Belarus announced the deployment of the complex on its territory and its placement on combat duty.