MINSK, December 30. /TASS/. The deployment of Russia’s Oreshnik intermediate-range missile systems in Belarus proves the effectiveness of the interstate treaty on security guarantees within the Union State, Russian Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov said in his New Year’s Greetings.
"Just recently, in accordance with the agreement between the heads of our states, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko, the Russian Oreshnik missile systems entered combat duty in the republic. This step is a clear confirmation of the effectiveness of the bilateral interstate treaty on security guarantees within the Union State, which entered into force in March," the greeting message says.
On Monday, the Belarusian Defense Ministry confirmed that the Russian Oreshnik missile system had entered combat duty in the republic and released footage of the ceremony. The Russian Defense Ministry previously reported that the Oreshnik had entered combat duty in Belarus. "The system is capable of engaging targets at ranges of up to 5,000 km and can carry both nuclear and conventional payloads and conduct launches from any point of its combat patrol route," the Belarusian Defense Ministry reported.
Last week, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said that the Oreshnik missile system’s deployment on the republic’s territory came in response to aggressive actions by Western opponents.