Zelensky: Russia wants to deploy ballistic weapons in Belarus, targeting western Ukraine
On 17 October, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia intends to place ballistic weapons on Belarusian territory with the backing of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, warning that such a deployment would primarily threaten western Ukraine and constitute a direct drawing of Belarus into the war. Russia is already using Belarusian territory as a corridor for drones, Zelensky added, as Ukrainian air defenses in the hardest-hit regions are being reinforced and production of anti-drone turrets is being increased.
Key points
- President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on 17 October that Russia wants to place ballistic weapons on the territory of Belarus.
- Russia is already placing repeaters on Belarusian territory to use it as a corridor for drones, according to Zelensky.
- Zelensky said Russia needs the support of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to deploy ballistic weapons in Belarus.
- Placement of Russian ballistic weapons in Belarus would primarily threaten western Ukrainian regions and would mean Belarus's direct involvement in the war, Zelensky said.
- Ukraine is strengthening air defense in areas facing the most Russian strikes and will increase production of turrets for shooting down jet drones.
- On 14 October in Lutsk, a Russian drone attack killed six people and destroyed the Yevrohurt wholesale warehouse; 13 were wounded.
- Between 13 and 16 October, Russian strikes hit sites in Lutsk, Kovel, Rivne, Vinnytsia and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts, including foreign-investment enterprises and a customs terminal.
Why it matters
Zelensky's statement frames a potential new front against Ukraine, with ballistic missiles launched from Belarus putting western regions within a much shorter flight time of impact than strikes from Russian territory. He also described the deployment as effectively dragging Belarus into the war, a step that would deepen the involvement of Minsk without a formal declaration. The warning comes against the backdrop of a marked escalation in strikes on western Ukraine in mid-October — including lethal attacks on Lutsk and damage to civilian and economic sites in Volyn, Rivne, Vinnytsia, and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts — and a stated Ukrainian reliance on U.S. intelligence for early warning of ballistic launches.
What happened
On 17 October, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists in an audio comment that Russia wants to deploy ballistic weapons on Belarusian territory and is seeking the support of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to do so. He said ballistic weapons placed in Belarus would primarily threaten western Ukraine and amount to the direct involvement of Belarus in the war, a development he described as dangerous for Belarus itself. Zelensky added that Russia is already placing repeaters on Belarusian territory to extend the range of drones striking Ukrainian targets.
The statement follows a series of Russian strikes on western Ukraine between 13 and 16 October. On 13 October, debris from a jet drone started a fire on the roof of the Adrenalin City entertainment center in Lutsk, which houses the Korsakiv Museum of Modern Art. On 14 October, a Russian drone strike on Lutsk killed at least six people, and jet drones destroyed the Yevrohurt wholesale warehouse, with six killed and 13 wounded. On 15 October, Ukrainian air defense shot down three jet drones over Volyn, but debris damaged power lines in the Lutsk community, leaving some residents without electricity and water. On 16 October, Russian strikes hit an enterprise with foreign investment in Lutsk and a customs terminal in Kovel, with further damage and casualties reported in Rivne, Vinnytsia and the Ivano-Frankivsk region.
Zelensky said Ukraine is reinforcing air defense in the most affected regions and increasing production of turrets designed to shoot down jet drones. He also said Ukraine currently receives information about ballistic-missile launches only from the United States.
Background
Russia already uses signal repeaters on Belarusian territory to extend the reach of Shahed/Geran-type drones striking western Ukraine, according to State Border Service spokesman Andriy Demchenko. In September, Deputy Head of Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) Vadym Skibitsky warned that Russia could intensify strikes on western oblasts and is in the final testing stage this year of a new-type ballistic missile with a range of up to 800 km, possibly intended for Iskander complexes. Russia maintains missile systems and military units on Belarusian territory, though their operational readiness to strike Ukraine has not been publicly confirmed. The 13–16 October strikes on Lutsk and other western Ukrainian sites are the most recent illustration of the pressure on the region.