Radio Svoboda Identifies Russian Commander of Oreshnik Missile Division in Belarus

Journalists from Radio Svoboda have identified the suspected Russian commander of the Oreshnik missile division, which has recently been placed on combat duty in Belarus.

This was reported in an investigative article by the outlet.

The newly developed medium-range missile system is operated by servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces.

It is noted that the official combat deployment ceremony, broadcast by the Belarusian Ministry of Defence on December 30, was led from the podium by an unnamed Russian lieutenant colonel, identified as the deputy commander of a Russian Armed Forces military unit.

According to the outlet’s findings, this lieutenant colonel was Roman Ostroushko.

As of 2021, he was known to be the commander of a missile division of the 54th Guards Rocket Division of Russia’s Strategic Rocket Forces, which is based in the city of Teykovo, the Ivanovo region.

The division is armed with RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missile systems.

The outlet notes that no Belarusian servicemen were observed during the ceremony marking the deployment of the Oreshnik missile system.

“After the system was brought to readiness for its intended use and inspected by a joint integrated group, the Oreshnik missile division began carrying out combat duty missions in designated areas on the territory of our country,” the Ministry of Defence of Belarus stated.

The territory of the newly established missile base is located near the Russian–Belarusian border on the grounds of the Krichev-6 air base in the eastern Mogilev region. The distance from the prepared positions to the state border line is approximately 4 km.

Such proximity to Russia’s Smolensk region likely illustrates the purely symbolic nature of deploying the weapons on Belarusian territory. The choice of deployment location is driven by Russian political considerations rather than military necessity.

The declared flight range of the Oreshnik complex’s ballistic missile is up to 5,000 km. It can be equipped with either conventional or nuclear warheads.