The new missile regiment of the Republic of Belarus near its border with Ukraine: what is known
A new anti-aircraft missile regiment of the Belarusian army was formed in the city of Luninets. During Soviet times, a military airfield was built in close proximity to this regional center in the Brest region, which was used for fighter-bomber training purposes. In 2022, it was used by Russian aircraft to attack targets in Ukrainian territory.
In recent months, nothing has been reported about the presence of military equipment at the Luninets airfield, but the Belarusian authorities have announced the creation of another army unit near the border with Ukraine.
S-300 after overhaul
The need to form a new anti-aircraft missile regiment, the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus, Viktor Khrenin, called “an adequate response” to the current situation. “The situation in our country is not calming down: the West is actively militarizing itself, the military potential near our borders is growing, Ukraine is being supplied with weapons,” the minister told reporters during a visit to Luninets on 23 March.
What will the new regiment be armed with? Minsk military analyst Alexander Aleksin notes that after the transfer of new S-400 air defense systems from Russia to Belarus, part of the old S-300 systems was released from the areas that they previously covered. “After a major overhaul, a regiment was formed on the basis of these facilities to cover the airspace in southern Belarus,” explains Alesin.
According to him, before the conflict in Ukraine, Minsk did not have air defense systems in the south of the country: neither on the border with the Russian Federation, nor on the border with Ukraine, because these states were not considered hostile. Now, the analyst clarifies, in connection with the hostilities in Ukraine, there is a danger that Ukrainian UAVs, as well as missiles, could penetrate from the south into the territory of Belarus or through it into the territory of the Russian Federation. On his part, Defense Minister Khrenin said during his visit to Luninets that “Ukraine’s leadership is showing unpredictability in its actions.”
For the military, barracks and a residential building have already been built.
The head of the Ministry of Defense also clarified that they decided to create an anti-aircraft missile regiment on the basis of the existing military unit in Luninets, but it will be equipped in a completely different way. It turns out that we are talking not only about the redeployment of S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems closer to the Ukrainian border (the regiment will be fifty kilometers from it), but also about the presence of military personnel here on a permanent basis.
Barracks were built for servicemen in the shortest possible time, and a 72-apartment building was built for officers’ families. Its commissioning became the reason for the visit of the Minister of Defense to the Luninets. Although housing in this building is considered rent, servicemen have the opportunity to become apartment owners for free after 25 years of service. Such a benefit is provided for by a special decree of Alexander Lukashenko, signed in February 2023.
In addition to the military airfield near the Ukrainian border, there will now be missiles
Lukashenka himself also visited the airfield in Luninets, and this happened relatively recently – in January 2022, about a month before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Even so, he declared the need to strengthen the southern borders of Belarus and reproached the Ukrainian authorities for creating tension on the border, which could be followed by a response from the State of the Union of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus.
Now these words are perceived quite differently than a year ago, and the residents of Luninets themselves pay attention to details that did not attract their special attention then. “This airfield was considered abandoned and nobody cared about it in recent years. People even started to gossip that it would soon be sold or that a sawmill would appear next door”, says the man, who asked not to be identified.
According to the interlocutor of DW, the revival on the territory of the Luninets airfield and around it began to be felt in early 2022, when it became clear that the military installation would be involved in the exercise of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus ” Allied Resolution”. At the same time, for the first time in a long time, local residents began to face a ban on even visiting the forest areas adjacent to the airfield. “And then it became clear that everything was serious: they were still training to launch missiles during exercises – this was heard not only in the city,” the source recalls. “But now I found out that the matter was not limited to training and missiles started flying towards Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, Alexander Aleksin emphasizes that without Russia, Minsk will not be able to maintain the combat capability of Soviet-made S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems. This means, he adds, that the formation of a new regiment “is also sanctioned by the Russian Federation”.
What locals say about the new military formation
Those who live in Luninets say that since last autumn they no longer feel the presence of military aviation at the airfield, but in early 2023, large-scale works began to be carried out on its territory. “There were rumors that there would be a Russian military base, because they started repairing the barracks, building a road, for which they cut down the forest to expand the territory”, says another resident of the regional center.
According to him, the phones of people involved in these works were seized, and the construction itself was carried out under the control of armed guards. However, after they began to build a residential building for servicemen in Luninets itself, it became clear that this was being done to meet the needs of the Belarusian army, and not the Russian one.
The very fact of the appearance of an anti-aircraft missile regiment in the immediate vicinity of the border with Ukraine in Luninets is trying to be perceived in a neutral way. “Yes, there is also an anxiety that if something flies from our territory, it can fly to us,” admits teacher Elena (name changed. – Red.). “But so much has happened in the last year that it seems to me that now anything can happen and there will be casualties even where there are no military installations nearby.”
Another man, who introduced himself as a railwayman, drew attention to the fact that Luninets is a large transport hub by Belarusian standards: “Before the pandemic, passenger trains also traveled to Ukraine, and freight trains were sent to there almost on the day the war started “Some of my fellow machinists had to return to their homeland in a roundabout way. Why am I saying this? Not only can the airfield become a target in the event of some kind of conflict, but so did the railway.”
Source: DW
Anna White is a journalist at 247 News Reel, where she writes on world news and current events. She is known for her insightful analysis and compelling storytelling. Anna’s articles have been widely read and shared, earning her a reputation as a talented and respected journalist. She delivers in-depth and accurate understanding of the world’s most pressing issues.