MINSK, January 16. /TASS/. Foreign opponents’ statements regarding the absence of the Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile system in Belarus testifies to the high level of operational concealment in the country, State Secretary of the Belarusian Security Council Alexander Volfovich said.
"God willing, we don’t show this Oreshnik system to anyone, and God willing, no one sees this Oreshnik system. And the fact that our opponents abroad say there’s no Oreshnik system is probably a good thing. It’s a matter of operational concealment," the official said in an interview with the First News TV Channel.
Volfovich added that the fact that the opponents have not reported the system’s deployment is positive information. "It’s good that they don’t see this Oreshnik. And it’s right that they don’t see it," he said.
Volfovich emphasized that the Oreshnik and tactical nuclear weapons are deployed in Belarus only to protect its territory. "Belarus has been and remains a peace-loving country, ready for good-neighborly, normal, constructive relations and dialogue," the State Secretary of the Belarusian Security Council added.
Last December, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the Oreshnik system had entered combat duty in Belarus. The system is capable of striking targets at ranges of up to 5,000 kilometers, and "can be equipped with both conventional and special warheads" and "launched from any point along the combat patrol route," the Belarusian Defense Ministry stated. Earlier, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said the deployment of Russia’s Oreshnik missile system on Belarusian soil was a strategic move in response to provocative actions by Western adversaries.