Lukashenko announced plans to deploy a dozen "Oreshnik" complexes in Belarus

Belarus expects to deploy about 10 Oreshnik missile systems on its territory, said President Alexander Lukashenko on December 26.

"I think we'll have a dozen for now, and then we'll see. If the Russians have a desire to place more, we'll place more," he said after the EAEU summit, answering the question of journalist Alexander Yunashev, who published a video in his Telegram channel.

Then the Belarusian leader repeated the same thing to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who approached him and explained that he was talking about accommodation "with a reserve."

Commonwealth aid: Putin is ready to deploy Oreshnik in Belarus in 2025

The targets for the missile system will be determined by Minsk

Earlier, on December 6, Lukashenko asked Putin to supply Belarus with Russian systems to launch the Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile. He noted that Minsk was concerned about the situation on its borders with Lithuania and Poland, and that NATO forces were being drawn to the country's western borders. In response, Putin allowed the possibility of deploying Oreshnik in Belarus in the second half of 2025.

In the following days, Lukashenko specified that Belarus would independently make a launcher for the missile system, and also instructed to ensure the deployment of the "Oreshnik" in the country and competently plan its use.