There are no nuclear weapons or Oreshnik intercontinental ballistic missiles in Belarus, Ukrainian intelligence says

Oleh Ivashchenko, Head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service, has said that nuclear weapons carriers are located on Belarusian territory but there are no actual nuclear weapons there, and the same applies to Oreshnik intercontinental ballistic missile systems.

Source: Ivashchenko in an interview with Ukrinform

Quote: "The carriers [of the nuclear weapons] are there. That's true. There are jets, there are Iskander missile systems. But there are no nuclear weapons in Belarus. That's a fact."

Details: Ivashchenko noted that storage facilities were being set up, preparations were underway, and construction was taking place in Belarus. 

"Lukashenko says that they will have the Oreshnik systems by the end of the year. But this seems to be wishful thinking. As of today, there is nothing of the sort, and it is unlikely that anything will appear," Ivashchenko said.

Background:

• In May 2023, the defence ministers of Russia and Belarus signed documents on the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory. The following month, Russian ruler Vladimir Putin said that part of Russia's nuclear weapons were already in Belarus.
• At the end of June 2023, self-proclaimed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ordered the development of an algorithm for the use of nuclear weapons deployed by Russia.
• In January 2025, Lukashenko said that Belarus would receive the Oreshnik missile system from Russia very soon.
• He also said that Belarus would initially receive 10 Oreshnik missile systems from Russia, but that this number could be increased if Russia so desired.

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