December 21, Pozirk. A plant to manufacture projectiles for the Grad multiple launch rocket systems and 155 mm artillery shells is under construction in the Słuck district, about 60 kilometers from Minsk, says a recent investigation by the BelPol opposition group.
The facility is located on the site of a former missile base that has been inactive since 1996, the group added.
According to the investigation, construction is being carried out under a secret order signed by Alaksandar Łukašenka on November 2, 2023. BelPol notes, however, that work on the facility appears to have begun even earlier.
Production lines for the manufacture of shells were reportedly purchased from Russia and China. The facility was designed to produce up to 120,000 rocket shells and the same number of artillery shells per year. Construction, financed by Biełinvestbank, is scheduled for completion in December 2026.
Recruitment has been underway since the summer of 2024, with the engineering staff already hired. The workforce is expected to total around 1,500 employees, BelPol said.
According to the investigation, the plant will become a key enterprise in Belarus’ military-industrial complex and the final step toward establishing a domestic ammunition production industry.
In February 2022, Russia started a full-scale war against Ukraine in which the Belarusian authorities supported the Kremlin, allowing Russian troops to attack Ukraine from Belarus on multiple occasions and supplying arms to Moscow.
