Historically, Russia has used the territory of Belarus as a launchpad for its military ambitions. During the Cold War, Soviet mobile ground missile systems (MRBM) "Pioneer" with medium-range ballistic missiles were deployed there. Thus, Bulgarian Military обозреватель Boyko Nikolov commented on the news that the Russian missile system "Oreshnik" will appear in Belarus by the end of 2025.
The first regiment with the "Pioneer" MRBM went on combat duty in the Gomel region in 1976. Mass deployment of the complexes began in 1978.
The current deployment of "Oreshnik" indicates that Russia is following a strategy in which Belarus is used to counter NATO's presence in Eastern Europe.
Belarus is increasingly integrated into the Russian military model through the Union State agreement.
The tactical consequences of deploying "Oreshnik" in the republic are very serious. The missile can challenge the existing air defense systems (ADS) of NATO countries. The American Patriot system, deployed in Poland, struggles to intercept hypersonic targets due to their speed and altitude.
More advanced systems, such as Arrow-3 or SM-3 Block IIA, could potentially counter "Oreshnik", but they have limited capabilities, the expert concluded.
