Belarus Builds New Military Facility Near Ukraine

8 January, 2024 Construction of a military facility in Belarus. January 2024. Photo credits: Radio Svoboda

The Ministry of Defense of Belarus is building a new military facility in the Gomel region, 40 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. The Belarusian service of Radio Svoboda, which received photos from the facility, reported on this. The investigation states that construction was supposed to begin in 2023 and be completed in 2027, but the first phase was to be completed in March 2024.

The construction of a new military facility may be related to Alexander Lukashenko's statements in May 2022. Then he announced the creation of the Southern Operational Command in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The construction is taking place on the territory of several former children's camps.

It was planned that in 2023, 500 thousand rubles (£150 thousand) would be allocated from the budget for this purpose, and in 2024 and 2025 - 10 and 40 million, respectively. The project was supposed to start in 2023 and end in 2027. The exact location of the construction is not officially disclosed.

However, the publication's sources have recorded construction on the territory of the former Chaika pioneer camp. It is approximately midway between the regional center of Gomel and the district center of Rechitsa. From here, there is an asphalt road to the border with Ukraine, about 40 kilometers to the border crossing in Nova Huta.

Gomel and Rechitsa on the map

Most likely, the new military town will initially house a garrison tasked with covering the state border.

The passport of the facility, located on the fence of the former camp, shows that the construction customer is the Capital Construction Department of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus. The general contractor is the Gomel Construction Plant 243. The project was developed by the Military Project Institute.

The construction period for the first stage of the town is October 2023 - March 2024.

Construction of a military facility in Belarus.

January 2024.

Photo credits: Radio Svoboda

In December, it also became known that Belarus would build another military facility, namely a training ground, in the Gomel region bordering Ukraine.