Under Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus is moving ahead with a large-scale, covert state project to establish a full-cycle ammunition manufacturing plant with the participation of Russia and China — a development that could directly support the Russian army’s war against Ukraine. The facility is designed to produce artillery and rocket munitions for Moscow and marks a significant escalation in Minsk’s industrial involvement in the conflict. The WP Times reports, citing media investigations.
The project has been uncovered by the Belarusian opposition-linked initiative BELPOL, which describes it as a strategic effort to integrate Belarus into Russia’s wartime supply chain at a time when ammunition availability has become one of the decisive factors on the battlefield.
Full-cycle production for Soviet-standard munitions
According to BELPOL’s findings, the classified state project — internally referred to as “Uchastok” — has been under way since November 2023. It envisages the creation of a full-cycle production facility capable of manufacturing artillery and rocket ammunition in 122 mm and 152 mm calibres, both standard Soviet-era specifications widely used by Russian forces in Ukraine.
“The project is strategically linked to the interests of the Russian Ministry of Defence, as the final output is intended for export and direct use in the war against Ukraine,” said Volodymyr Zhyhar, an official representative of BELPOL.
The plant is expected to be completed by December 2026. Once operational, it could substantially strengthen Russia’s logistical and material capacity by providing a stable, nearby source of ammunition outside Russia’s own overstretched defence industry.
Political authorisation and industrial control
According to BELPOL, the project was authorised through a secret directive issued personally by Alexander Lukashenko.
The key operator has been designated as a specially created entity known as the Plant of Casing Products, which is expected to become the backbone of a new ammunition manufacturing sector in Belarus. Its founders include the private company VolatAvto and the state-owned Precision Electromechanics Plant, while overall supervision is exercised by Belarus’s State Military-Industrial Committee.
“This project goes beyond political support for Russia,” Zhyhar said. “It represents direct material and technical support for armed aggression. Given the product range and projected volumes, the end consumer will be the Russian Federation.”
Location: industrial site, not a missile base
The production facility is located in Slutsk district of the Minsk region, on the territory of a former military arsenal near the villages of Pavlivka and Shyshchytsy.
Earlier media speculation suggested the site could be linked to the deployment of Russian strategic missile systems, including the Oreshnik complex. These assumptions were based on the scale of construction, the nature of the infrastructure and the restricted status of the area. However, BELPOL says documents in its possession — including engineering drawings — confirm that the site is intended for industrial production rather than missile deployment.
“This is not a storage facility and not a missile position area. It is an industrial object designed for mass ammunition production in cooperation with Russia and oriented towards the war against Ukraine,” Zhyhar said.
Dependence on Russia, China — and beyond
BELPOL investigators note that Belarus does not produce any of the critical components required for explosives, making the plant structurally dependent on foreign technology and materials. Russia and China are identified as the project’s principal partners. Russia is supplying technological production lines, components and personnel training, and is expected to remain the primary supplier of explosives and propellants. China, according to BELPOL, is providing filling equipment for 122 mm warheads, assisting with staff training and supplying explosive materials.
Negotiations are also reportedly under way with Iran and Pakistan regarding additional cooperation.
The project illustrates the increasingly international nature of the supply networks supporting Russia’s war effort, despite Western sanctions aimed at disrupting such chains.
Additional evidence and wider context
BELPOL has published further documents, visual materials and satellite imagery supporting its findings in an investigation released on the organisation’s YouTube channel on Sunday. Separately, earlier BELPOL disclosures have indicated that Belarusian enterprises linked to the Amkodor holding — including the SVT Plant — have been involved in servicing electronic systems used in Russian intercontinental ballistic missile complexes. Taken together, the findings point to a systematic expansion of Belarus’s role in supporting Russia’s military-industrial base rather than isolated acts of cooperation.
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