Belarus building military town 40 kilometers from border with Ukraine

The Ministry of Defense of Belarus is building a new military town in the Gomel region, 40 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, with the construction of the first stage set to be completed in March 2024.

That's according to the Belarusian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which received a scheme of the object.

At the beginning of 2023, the Belarusian media noticed that a new military camp and training ground were planned to be built in the Gomel region near the border with Ukraine using the funds of the state investment program for 2023-2027. It was planned that 500,000 roubles ($150,000) would be allocated from the budget for these purposes in 2023, 10 million and 40 million in 2024 and 2025, respectively. The project was supposed to start in 2023 and end in 2027.

The construction of a new military facility may be related to statements made by Alexander Lukashenko in May 2022. Back then, he announced the creation of the "Southern Operational Command" in the country's Armed Forces. According to another theory, voiced by the Motolko.help project, military personnel of the Special Operations Forces of Belarus might be stationed there.

The exact location of the construction site has not been officially disclosed. However, the media outlet's sources said construction work was ongoing at the former pioneer camp "Chaika" in the Gomel district. It is roughly halfway between the regional center of Gomel and the district center of Richitsa. From here, an asphalt road leads to the border with Ukraine, about 40 kilometers to the border crossing in Nova Guta.

Photo: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty