Russia claims to have moved nuclear-capable missile system into Belarus | Russia
Russia said its latest nuclear-capable missile system had been deployed in Belarus, a day after Moscow claimed Ukraine had carried out a large-scale drone attack on Vladimir Putin’s residence.
In the images published by the Russian defense ministry, the new Oreshnik missile is seen passing through a snowy forest. Soldiers were seen hiding their combat vehicles with green nets and raising flags at an air base in eastern Belarus, close to the Russian border.
The video emerged as part of a choreographed attempt to scare Europe and prepare the Russians for a further escalation of an already brutal war against Ukraine. This deployment symbolically shortens the time it takes for a Russian missile to hit the EU capital.
Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko said that ten Oreshnik systems will be deployed in his country. Putin announced their entry into active service at a meeting with his generals on Monday, where he reaffirmed his intention to seize more Ukrainian territory, including the southern city of Zaporizhia.
Earlier, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warned that “reprisals” would be carried out against Kiev in line with pre-prepared goals. They followed what they said was an attack involving 91 Ukrainian drones on the Russian president’s palace in the Novgorod region on Sunday night.
However, the Kremlin could not provide evidence to support its claims. Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that no evidence could be presented because all the missiles were shot down. He said he could not comment on the absence of debris.
According to the independent Russian media outlet Sota, local residents living in the area said they did not hear any explosions or anti-aircraft fire. There was no air raid alert. There were also no cell phone clips showing smoke and flames Sharing it online is a typical feature of confirmed hits.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia had made up the story and urged other countries to ignore it. “Almost a day has passed and Russia still has not presented any reasonable evidence for its accusations. And they will not do so. Because there is none. There was no such attack,” he said. Published on X.
He did not criticize Donald Trump, who angrily confirmed Russia’s account on Monday and said Putin told him about the attack in a phone call. “Being aggressive is one thing because they are aggressive. Attacking your home is another thing. This is not the right time to do these,” the US president said.
Sybiha expressed that she was disturbed by India, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, who said they were concerned about the reports. “Such reactions to Russia’s unfounded manipulative claims only serve Russian propaganda and encourage Moscow to further cruelty and lies,” he said.
Ukrainian commanders said Russian kamikaze drones regularly flew over the government palace used by Zelenskyy on his way to the capital. An officer who heads regional defense unit 112 said his team shot down two drones over the state residence in Koncha-Zaspa, south of Kiev, on Saturday.
“Whenever there is a large-scale attack, they fly to our area. There are always martyrs. Most of the time we shoot them here,” the soldier told the Guardian. He shared a video showing an enemy drone flying low in a white winter sky.
The Ukrainians are keen to focus on continuing diplomatic efforts to end the conflict after Zelenskyy’s two-hour meeting with Trump in Florida on Sunday. The two leaders discussed a 20-point peace plan under which the United States would offer post-war security guarantees to Kiev, voted on by Congress.
There has been no progress on the future of the eastern Donbas region, which Putin says should be handed over to Russia. Zelenskyy refused to give land to Russia. He has proposed a demilitarized zone that could be approved by referendum if Russia agrees to a ceasefire of at least 60 days.
Zelenskyy said the Russians were spreading “fake news” because of his “highly successful meeting and meeting” with Trump over the weekend and the progress made by the US and Ukrainian delegations in recent weeks. He added that Russia made the accusations because it did not want “a positive outcome for anyone in this format.”
The Ukrainian president will meet his European allies at a conference hosted by Emmanuel Macron in France on January 6. Leaders will discuss Europe’s contribution to the peacekeeping operation. A meeting of European heads of state is likely to be held in Washington with Trump and his White House team.
Commentators said U.S. security commitments would be meaningless if Trump was willing to accept everything the Russian President told him. “If the monitoring of a potential ceasefire is going to be done by the same people who believe what Russia is saying, we’re in big trouble,” said Phillips O’Brien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St Andrews.
