ISW: The placement of “Oresshnik” in Belarus will not change Russia’s military potential in Europe

Experts of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believe that the deployment of Oreshnyk medium-range ballistic missiles on the territory of Belarus will not significantly change the military potential of Russia in relation to Europe and Ukraine, but Oleksandr Lukashenko will try to take operational control over their use.

“Lukashenko stated that Russia’s deployment of Oreshnik missiles in Belarus is a direct response to the deployment of US missiles in Europe, and they will defend Belarus. Lukashenko likely hopes to establish some form of control over the use of Russian missiles deployed in Belarus to bolster Belarus’s waning sovereignty, but Moscow is likely to retain operational control over the missiles and their use,” the January 26 ISW report said. .

Experts believe that the deployment of Russian Oreshnik missiles will not radically change Russia’s military potential against Europe and Ukraine, since Russia has long supported weapons systems with the same payload and longer range in Kaliningrad and other Russian cities.

On January 26, during a press conference, Oleksandr Lukashenko said that the Russian Oreshnyk missiles will arrive in Belarus in the near future and, most likely, will be located in the city of Orsha, Vitebsk region.