Putin tipped to deploy hypersonic missile that ‘can reach UK in under nine minutes’

is reportedly preparing to deploy Oreshnik hypersonic missiles to , according to the country’s leader .

The so-called “wonder weapon”, which can reach temperatures of up to 4,000C, could potentially reach Britain in under nine minutes.

Belarus, an ally of and geographically closer to Europe and Britain than most of , will reportedly be supplied with an active Oreshnik system before Putin’s own forces. The weapons are set to be stationed in eastern Belarus – 1,345 miles from London.

, Putin has claimed that the Oreshnik is nearly as destructive with a non-nuclear warhead, capable of incinerating targets with a temperature almost as hot as the sun’s surface.

The Kremlin has previously claimed that the missile is impossible to intercept. Mr Lukashenko boasted about receiving the Oreshnik from “my elder brother” Putin.

He also revealed a supply issue with the missile, which was only used once last year against without a live warhead, confirming suspicions that Putin may have exaggerated the readiness of the Oreshnik.

“Any day now, we’ll have the Oreshnik systems,” claimed Mr Lukashenko, describing it as a . He also revealed his plans to deploy a missile system closer to the Russian city of Smolensk.

He added: “It’s bad when your targets are too close, but also bad if they’re too far. They might not handle the load as well. So I’m thinking somewhere near [].”

Mr Lukashenko also hinted at Putin’s struggles with mass-producing Oreshnik, saying: “This will probably not be produced in two, even three years. I understand that.

“One [Oreshnik] is enough to secure Belarus. But they are also needed in . And we did not stipulate specific deadlines. It is not urgent.”

Russian state media has reported that an Oreshnik launch from Belarus could reach London in just 8.8 minutes, compared to 20 minutes from its current test launch base in southern .

Putin has previously bragged about his personal involvement in the development of Oreshnik, saying: “Oreshnik is not an event of the year, it is and space field. Nothing like this has ever happened before.

“This is the first time it’s happened with this type of weapon. How deep [was I involved]? Yeah, pretty deep.”