It started? "Iskander M" is being piled up; Three European countries a direct target VIDEO

As reported by the Belarusian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Asipovichy is a city in the Mogilev region of Belarus, 100 kilometers from Minsk and 190 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.

It is a large railway hub that connects the Belarusian capital with two regional centers - Gomel and Mogilev - in the directions of Ukraine and Russia.

There are already several military facilities related to artillery and missile forces in the city and in its vicinity.

This place attracted public attention after the statements of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko about the transfer of modern Russian Iskander missile systems and strategic nuclear weapons to Belarus.

Experts concluded that both weapons could be located in that city.

Journalists of the Belarusian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty analyzed satellite images that show that since the beginning of the war between Russia and Ukraine, the military infrastructure near Asipovichy has expanded even more.

In several places, the construction and reconstruction of barracks, weapons storage, and possibly new hangars for "Iskanders" and other special equipment is underway. A special railway is being built that will connect all of this.

Radio Liberty's Belarusian service teamed up with experts to collect and analyze fresh satellite images taken by Planet Labs in February 2025, as well as public information, to understand what it all might mean.

What is "Iskander"

"Iskander" is a Russian mobile short-range ballistic missile system (OTRK).

Its primary purpose is to deliver precision strikes on key enemy targets. The official range of "Iskander-M" missiles is up to 500 km. This means that missiles deployed in Belarus can threaten almost the entire territory of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, as well as a large part of the territory of Ukraine.

 

Construction in Asipovichy

Belarusian authorities call Asipovichy the "capital of artillery". The city itself is currently home to at least three military brigades associated with this branch of the military: the 51st Guards Artillery Brigade, the 336th Rocket Artillery Brigade and the 465th Rocket Brigade.

The Iskander-M missile system, capable of using nuclear warheads, is probably in service with the 465th Missile Brigade. At least two sections of such systems have been delivered to Belarus, Lukashenko announced in February 2024.

The regular composition of the "Iskander-M" division of the Russian Armed Forces includes 2 missile batteries - about 12 combat vehicles of various types (command and headquarters vehicle, life support vehicle, self-propelled rocket launcher, transport and loading vehicle, mobile information preparation point and vehicle for control and maintenance). That is, two divisions in Belarus are about 24 military vehicles, 8 of which carry missiles.

For this amount of equipment, the Asipovichy military unit number 12147 started the construction of new hangars in October 2022.

One of them was built in the summer of 2023, and the foundations of two more were laid in the fall of 2023.

According to the calculations of Belarusian journalists of Radio Liberty, one "Iskander-M" division is housed in one hangar.

This means that the Asipovichy military unit will now be able to receive three such divisions, which will actually form a new full-fledged military brigade, and perhaps they will create a fourth one.

A satellite image of Asipovichy from February 25, 2025, obtained by the Belarusian service of Radio Liberty, shows that the construction works on the territory of the military unit are in the final stage.

In addition to additional hangars for "Iskanders", three buildings for the storage of military equipment and property have been built here since July 2023, an abandoned barracks building, a warehouse, an administrative building have been renovated, and a sports complex with a full-fledged football field has been installed.

Also in the northwestern part of Asipovichy, on the former territory of the military unit, several tall buildings and a new large school with a stadium are being built.

The association of former Belarusian security officers BelPol previously published information that at least two houses at the addresses of Krylovicha, 32 and Krylovicha, 34 are being built by the "Department for Capital Construction of the Armed Forces of Belarus".

According to the document published by BelPol, all works are carried out based on Alexander Lukashenko's decree number 289c of September 20, 2023.

On March 14, 2025, the Executive Committee of the Asipovichy District reported that the keys to 72 apartments in the building at 32 Krilovica Street had already been handed over to the army.

12 km from the city and the "Iskander" warehouse is the 1405th Artillery Ammunition Base (military unit 42707), where, according to the New York Times and the Federation of American Scientists, a nuclear warhead warehouse may be being prepared.

A Planet Labs satellite image from February 24, 2025, received by the Belarusian service of Radio Liberty, shows changes in several locations on the territory of this military unit. In the past two years, new facilities were built here and old ones renovated.

Thus, in the northern part of the military base, construction works began approximately from the beginning of March 2023.

At this location, a part of the forest was first cut down, then a three-level perimeter fence appeared, within which several buildings were erected and reconstructed and something reminiscent of a communication tower or lightning rod was installed.

Belarusian journalists recall that this happened almost simultaneously when Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced on March 25, 2023 that Russia would deploy its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

In a publication of the Federation of American Scientists, experts called this location the most similar Russian nuclear weapons storage facility.

According to experts, this can be evidenced by the similar structure of buildings in Russia, a special fence on three levels and a possible checkpoint.