Tsikhanouskaya says there is no evidence of nuclear weapons in Belarus
Photo: Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (Getty Images)
At present, there is no evidence that nuclear weapons are already located on the territory of Belarus. But they are constantly used by the regime of the Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko, as an instrument of pressure and intimidation, says the leader of the Belarusian opposition, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
Read also: Moscow uses Belarus as a platform to blackmail Europe and attack Ukraine — Zelenskyy
Nuclear blackmail and hybrid war
There is no evidence that these weapons are already in Belarus, but they are always in the region, she believes. They provoke and want to appear stronger. They want Europe to pay more attention to its own security rather than, for example, helping Ukraine, Tsikhanouskaya added.
According to her, such statements and actions by Minsk are part of the hybrid war that the Lukashenko regime is waging together with Russia.
Tsikhanouskaya emphasized that the Belarusian authorities are trying to create an illusion of threat in order to influence the West’s position on supporting Ukraine.
Lukashenko’s role in the war against Ukraine
The opposition leader also stressed that all possible steps harmful to Ukraine on Lukashenko’s part have already been taken and may continue in the future.
If someone says that Lukashenko is not guilty or that he cannot be that bad, everything bad that Lukashenko could do to Ukraine, he has already done and will continue to do, the interlocutor said.
Tsikhanouskaya noted that the absence of a direct invasion of Ukraine by Belarusian troops is not to the credit of Lukashenko.
According to her, this became possible thanks to Belarusian society, which categorically condemns this war.
Threat to Ukraine and Europe
The opposition leader also drew attention to the fact that the Minsk regime continues its hybrid attack against Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia (referring to the forced landing of a Ryanair plane with Belarusian opposition activist Roman Protasevich on board in 2021), as well as migration attacks. She noted that this is only the beginning.
“As long as Belarus remains under Lukashenko's control, it will always be a threat to Ukraine,” Tsikhanouskaya summed up.
Deployment of Oreshnik in Belarus
The self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, has repeatedly made public statements about the Russian missile system Oreshnik.
In March 2025, he claimed that Belarusian enterprises were allegedly manufacturing launchers for Oreshnik.
In December 2025, Lukashenko said that he expects to deploy about ten such systems on the territory of Belarus.
On December 17, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced that Oreshnik systems are to be put on combat duty by the end of 2025.
Already on December 18, Lukashenko stated that the system has been on the territory of Belarus since December 17 and is “going on combat duty.”
The following day, December 19, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian side has information about possible locations of Oreshnik deployments in Belarus and is passing this data to international partners.
