Russian 101st Missile Brigade Deployed in Belarus, Ukraine Says

Ukrainian Defence Intelligence chief Oleh Ivashchenko says units of Russia’s 101st Missile Brigade, equipped with the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile system, have been positioned in Belarus. He assesses the overall military threat from the Belarusian direction as low, but warns that Belarus has permitted the placement of radio-signal repeaters that assist Russian Shahed attack drones in targeting Ukrainian civilian sites and critical infrastructure.

Russia’s 101st Missile Brigade units deployed in Belarus, equipped with Oreshnik — HUR Chief Kyiv Independent

The Oreshnik is an intermediate-range ballistic missile believed to be a modified version of the Rubezh surface-to-surface missile. It travels at high speed, making interception difficult, and is designed to carry nuclear warheads, although the three known attacks in which Oreshnik missiles were used against Ukraine did not involve nuclear payloads. The first recorded use was in November 2024 against Dnipro, followed by strikes on western Ukraine, including Lviv, and most recently on Bila Tserkva, a town south of Kyiv. Damage from these attacks has been reported as minimal.

Kyiv IndependentRussia’s 101st Missile Brigade units deployed in Belarus, equipped with Oreshnik — HUR Chief

Ivashchenko stresses that the deployment of the missile brigade reflects Russia’s use of Belarusian territory to support its war effort, yet he sees no indication that Minsk is preparing to join the conflict directly. The Ukrainian side remains concerned about the repeaters’ role in guiding Shahed drones toward civilian and infrastructure targets, even as the broader threat from the north is judged to be limited.

Russia’s 101st Missile Brigade units deployed in Belarus, equipped with Oreshnik — HUR Chief

• “And if Belarus did not grant such permission, this indicates that Minsk no longer controls Russia's activities on its own territory,” — Oleh Ivashchenko, military intelligence chief

Kyiv Independent

• “However, we are concerned that Belarus has allowed the deployment on its territory of radio-signal repeaters that guide Russian Shahed attack UAVs toward Ukrainian civilian targets and critical infrastructure. We also note the deployment in Belarus of units of the Russian Armed Forces’ 101st Missile Brigade, which is equipped with the Oreshnik intermediate-range missile system,” — Oleh Ivashchenko, military intelligence chief

Russia’s 101st Missile Brigade units deployed in Belarus, equipped with Oreshnik — HUR Chief