Speaking to reporters in Minsk last weekend, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko unexpectedly revealed that some figures in Russia have proposed using the Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic missile system against the Ukrainian capital. However, Mr. Putin immediately denied it: "Absolutely not". The Belarusian leader stressed: "If the attack takes place, there will be nothing left in Kiev."
The Oreshnik is a new medium-range hypersonic missile system developed by Russia, with speeds of up to Mach 10, carrying both nuclear and conventional warheads, and capable of launching multiple guided warheads at the same time. This weapon has entered mass production and is assessed by analysts to be intercepted by current defense systems.
Russia first tested the Oreshnik live-fire in November 2024 when it attacked the Yuzhmash defense industrial facility in Dnepr, Ukraine. Russian officials say its destructiveness, even with conventional warheads, could be compared to a low-powered nuclear explosion.
Mr. Putin has accused the West of trying to provoke Russia to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, but affirmed that Moscow does not see the need to go that far. I hope it will never be used, the Russian president said in May.
Mr. Lukashenko also reiterated that since the early stages of the war in 2022, when the Russian army approached Kiev, the Kremlin had refrained from attacking civilian targets and later withdrew troops, considering it a goodwill before peace negotiations, although Ukraine had refused to sign the agreement under pressure from the UK.
Since May 2025, Russia and Ukraine have resumed direct dialogue in Istanbul (Türkiye) and held 3 rounds of meetings, but have not reached an agreement. Moscow insists it is ready for negotiations, but any solution must address the root cause of the conflict and reflect new realities on the battlefield.
