Putin ramps up WW3 fears by shifting hypersonic nuclear missiles near EU border
Belarus’s exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said president Alexander Lukashenko is letting Putin build up his arsenal in the country, which borders three Nato allies and the EU
Putin is moving his deadliest weapon to the border of the EU(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Mad Vlad is moving his deadliest nuclear weapon to the border of the European Union, inching the world closer to a global conflict. Belarus exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya warned Europe to “pay more attention” to what is happening in her country.
She claimed strongman president Alexander Lukashenko – a key Putin ally – was facilitating the deranged despot’s aggression in Ukraine by allowing him to intensify Russia’s military presence in the nation on Nato’s doorstep.
Lukashenko said in December that 10 Oreshnik systems – Russia’s nuclear-capable, hypersonic missile system – would be stationed in the Belarus, which borders Ukraine as well as Nato allies Lithuania, Latvia and Poland.
Ms Tsikhanouskaya told The Telegraph: “We see how on Belarusian territory, Mr Lukashenko’s regime intensifies the presence of Russia. They are about to deploy nuclear weapons [to Belarus], Russian missiles.”
She added Belarus was also a significant contributor to the Russian military-industrial complex and guessed there were “about 300 Belarusian enterprises” helping the Kremlin’s production efforts, including building new enterprises for constructing drones.
She chillingly warned: “So it looks like they’re preparing for escalation… This escalation might affect not only Ukraine but also European countries. So we have to put more attention on what is happening in Belarus.”
The Oreshnik is a mobile intermediate-range missile system that experts say can reach the UK within eight minutes. It can carry nuclear warheads, but has so far only been deployed with conventional payloads.
In December, Russia’s ministry of defence released footage that they said showed an Oreshnik system being put on combat duty in Belarus. And in January, the “unstoppable” mission was used in a massive strike in Ukraine, which killed four and left 22 injured in Kyiv.
Last week, reports emerged that satellites had captured imagery suggesting that Russia may be deploying the Oreshnik at a military installation site near the town of Krychau, close to the Russian border in eastern Belarus.
Non-nuclear Oreshniks have been tested on the battlefield in Ukraine. The Kremlin has also used the missile, which splits into three separate warheads, to threaten the West.
Ms Tsikhanouskaya was speaking on the sidelines of Europe’s biggest defence and security conference in Munich. She describes herself as the president-elect of Belarus after claiming victory in the country’s 2020 election.
But she fled the country with her two children after claiming Mr Lukashenko rigged the outcome, while her husband, who had initially stood to run against him, was detained in prison.
He was freed last year as part of a US-backed prisoner release and the family remain living in exile between Lithuania and Poland. Ms Tsikhanouskaya remains under threat and arrived to her interview with the newspaper flanked by security personnel.
Describing her life in exile, she said it had become easier on a personal level since her husband’s release, “knowing that he can hug our children”.
She added: “But still thousands of people remain behind bars, and we have to work very hard to release all of them and to stop repressive regimes.”
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