By Galina Korol | 2026-01-06

The site near Pavlovka once held a munitions depot that exploded so violently in 1996 that the ground is still dotted with hazards. Now, Belarus is building a new plant on that same unstable soil -- and classified documents obtained by the BelPol initiative indicate it is designed to feed Russia's artillery lines with fresh ammunition.

Hidden in plain sight

The facility, roughly 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Minsk, had drawn speculation that it might house Russian Oreshnik missile infrastructure. BelPol's December investigation, however, describes a different mission: mass production of artillery and rocket shells for use in Ukraine.

Observers say the project, marked "classified," will operate under the name Structural Components Plant, responsible for final assembly.

"The Uchastok facility is just a code name," Uladzimir Zhyhar, a representative of BelPol, told Kontur. He said the plant will produce 122 mm Grad rockets and 152 mm high-explosive artillery shells.

"You could say that this is the main center of the entire artillery and rocket ammunition 'spider's web' that is now being built in Belarus," Zhyhar said.

On paper, the project avoids any reference to weapons. Internal correspondence refers to a neutral "site," making it harder to link the operation to military production.

Zhyhar told Kontur that legal filings list machining and assembly, but not the end product. He argued that the camouflage is deliberate, with decisions taken behind closed doors and instructions restricted to a narrow circle.

"The tracks were deliberately covered," he said.

Moscow's foothold grows

BelPol reported only shallow demining -- about 30 centimeters -- before construction began, raising the risk that buried ordnance remains under the factory footprint. In December 2024, an explosion struck the site. Authorities did not disclose a cause, and work continued.

"This site was chosen based on how convenient it is for the regime, not out of safety concerns," Zhyhar said. "That is, logistical and territorial convenience -- meaning, proximity to Russia and Ukraine. The shells essentially go immediately from here to the front."

Project documents envision at least 50 years of operation.

Although the Structural Components Plant is registered as a commercial company, its shareholders include organizations tied to Belarus's State Authority for Military Industry. According to Zhyhar, the initiative came from President Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

"He understands that selling ready-made ammunition is much more profitable than separate casings or parts," Zhyhar said.

Because Belarus lacks key explosive components, the plant will depend on foreign partners. Russia is supplying production lines, China is providing filling equipment, and talks include Iran and Pakistan, he said.

BelPol reported that Russian financing covers up to 30% of rocket-line costs and as much as 50% for artillery lines.

"This is also very convenient for Russia," Zhyhar said. "Ukraine's strikes deep inside Russia destroyed many similar factories. There are no such strikes on Belarus."

That arrangement pulls Belarus deeper into Moscow's logistics.

"This is direct evidence that the Lukashenko regime is an active participant in the war and with the aggressor," Zhyhar said.

A broader militarization

The Uchastok project is only one piece of a wider shift, said Sergei Bulba, head of the NGO Belarus 2.0: Robimo razom (Let's Work Together). He told Kontur that Belarus's security services have adopted two new priorities -- one aimed at Ukraine and another at Europe -- aligning with Russian interests rather than national need.

Minsk plans to expand its armed forces to 80,000 troops, from about 65,000, even as real defense spending declines, Bulba said. The result, he warned, is growing dependence on Moscow's money -- and potential political leverage, including pressure to commit troops if the regime faces financial strain.

So far, the Kremlin has chosen not to deploy Belarusian soldiers citing poor morale and internal risk.

"The officers lack readiness to fight, especially against Ukraine," Bulba said.

At the same time, Russia is preparing for instability if Lukashenka leaves or dies. Bulba said a "strike force" already exists inside Belarus to secure control quickly and elevate a pro-Russian candidate.

What appears from the outside to be another industrial project is, in BelPol's account, something else: a long-lived weapons plant, shielded by secrecy, that ties Belarus more tightly to Russia's war -- and to a future shaped by militarization.