Zelensky: Russia is preparing a missile bridgehead in Belarus

Russia has almost completed the transfer of Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missiles to Belarus, which poses a direct threat to a number of European countries. However, sanctions against the production of these missiles have not yet been imposed.

This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky during a joint press conference with President of Poland Karol Nawrotski in Warsaw.

According to the head of state, the Ukrainian side clearly understands where exactly the missiles are planned to be deployed and has already transmitted the relevant information to international partners.

“The transfer of Oreshnik to Belarus is actually coming to an end. We know the locations and share this data with partners. They are able to assess the level of threat themselves and decide how to respond,” Zelenskyy noted.

The President emphasized that Kyiv had warned Europe and the United States in advance about Moscow’s intentions to deploy this missile system in Belarus and demonstrated its potential range.

“This is a danger for many European countries — in particular, Poland, Germany, and others. We have shown this. Today, it is impossible to intercept the Oreshnik with drones. Russia has already used these missiles against Ukraine, and we understand how to counter this,” the president added.

He also drew attention to the lack of sanctions against companies that supply Russia with components for the production of “Oreshnik” through third countries.

“Without these parts, Russia is not able to develop production. But I don’t see any real sanctions yet. They continue production. Fortunately, not on a large scale, no matter how much they brag, but they do it not by chance,” Zelensky said.

Separately, the president asked Ukraine’s partners: if the international community is making significant diplomatic efforts to end the war, why isn’t similar pressure being exerted to prevent the deployment of Russian missile weapons near the EU borders, in particular Poland.

“If Russia attacks American air defense systems on the territory of Ukraine, why aren’t conclusions drawn about threats from Belarus, where the Russian Federation will control these weapons?” he noted.

In this context, Zelensky recalled that on the first night of the full-scale invasion, Russian missiles that killed Ukrainians were, in particular, launched from the territory of Belarus.

As a reminder, the Russian Oreshnik missile system has entered combat duty on the territory of Belarus.

As reported, Russia has no intention of giving up its goals regarding the occupied territories of Ukraine and is ready to achieve them both diplomatically and militarily.

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