Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
“Europe’s last dictator” seems to be assuming a new role in the Russian war of aggression.
It is nothing new that Russia and Belarus have a very close alliance.
Alexander Lukashenko, who has been ruling Belarus since 1994, is known for his close ties to the Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and ahead of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Belarus allowed for Russian troops to perform weeks-long military drills on Belarusian soil.
Belarus has also been accused of allowing Russian missile launchers to be stationed on its territory – launchers, which have been used to target Ukraine from Belarus.
Yes, Belarus has already played a role in the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, but Lukashenko might be getting drawn even deeper into the war in the near future.
Oreshnik missiles in Belarus
During a meeting with reporters on Friday February 6 2026, Ukraine’s president Volodomyr Zelensky, told reporters that Belarus is already “fully or partially” hosting Russia’s Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile.
Speaking in Kyiv, he said recent developments point to a widening of the war’s geography.
The comments come as fighting continues across multiple fronts and diplomatic pressure mounts.
He said Moscow has finished “preparatory, technical work” on Belarusian territory, describing the move as a serious escalation risk.
“One use of ‘Oreshnik’ is that you have been drawn into the war,” Zelensky said according to The Kyiv Independent. “If Russia manages to draw another country, Belarus, fully into this war, it will be a great tragedy.”
The Oreshnik is believed to be a modified version of the Rubezh surface-to-surface missile, itself rooted in Soviet-era ballistic designs.
Use against Ukraine
Russia first deployed the Oreshnik against Ukraine in November 2024, when it struck the central city of Dnipro. More recently, the missile was used in an attack on western Lviv Oblast on Jan. 9, according to Ukrainian officials.
Zelensky said the weapon represents a direct threat to Ukraine and that Kyiv would act to prevent it from becoming operational from Belarusian soil.
“We have done everything to ensure the antennas do not work, and we will make sure that ‘Oreshnik’ does not even start operating,” he said.
Belarus’s growing role
Zelensky also accused Belarus of facilitating Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. He said Moscow has set up “air corridors” over Belarus that Russian strike drones use, supported by technical equipment including antennas.
Turning to diplomacy, Zelensky highlighted the importance of engaging Belarusian opposition figures abroad. He referenced his first bilateral meeting with exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Jan. 25 in Vilnius, expressing hope that she would help inform European governments about Belarus’s involvement.
Belarus, ruled by Alexander Lukashenko since 1994, remains one of Russia’s closest allies and has backed Moscow politically and militarily since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Sources: Statements by President Volodymyr Zelensky to reporters in Kyiv, The Kyiv Independent
