Belarusian opposition groups have tracked the transport of Russian Oreshnik missile system components from the Kapustin Yar testing range to the Krichev military airfield in late 2025.
Logistics of the Deployment
According to findings from the Belarusian Railway Workers Association, the transfer of Oreshnik system components occurred between December 20 and 29, 2025. A 54-car train transported military personnel and equipment, including items documented as explosive cargo, from the Kapustin Yar range in Russia to the town of Krichev in Belarus.
The cargo was subsequently delivered to the Krichev-6 military airfield. No further transports of this specific nature were recorded between December 2025 and mid-May. It remains unclear whether fully operational launchers and missiles or merely auxiliary support equipment were delivered.
Strategic Rationale and Combat Readiness
In September 2025, Belarusian authorities announced plans to host the Russian medium-range Oreshnik ballistic missile system. By December 2025, President Alexander Lukashenko declared the system was on combat duty, characterizing the move as a necessary response to contemporary regional threats.
Technical Profile and Deployment History
Oreshnik is a medium-range missile system, believed by experts to be a derivative of the RS-26 Rubezh missile capable of striking targets up to 5,500 kilometers away. Described by analysts as a “three-story building” in size, Russia views it as a strategic weapon designed to project power across Ukraine and Europe.
Russia has utilized the Oreshnik missile on three recorded occasions against Ukraine. Following the initial use in Dnipro in November 2024 and a January strike in the Lviv region, the third deployment occurred on May 24, striking residential garages in Bila Tserkva. Ukrainian analysts noted that if Kyiv had been the intended target, the missile deviated by 80 kilometers.
