Bangladesh, Dec. 7 -- In a significant development underscoring deepening ties between Moscow and Minsk, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to deploy advanced Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile systems in Belarus. The announcement, made during a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on December 6, marks a notable expansion in the military capabilities of the Union State alliance and sends a pointed message to NATO amidst ongoing tensions in Eastern Europe.

The Oreshnik missile system represents Russias latest achievement in missile technology. It is an intermediate-range ballistic missile armed with kinetic warheads capable of traveling at hypersonic speeds-reaching up to Mach 10, or ten times t...