Belarusians experiment with drones. A secret factory was created in Minsk

At one of the Minsk estates, the Kamikaze Drone Factory was created, which until the end of 2025 is to achieve an annual production of 960 pieces of these machines – revealed Belarusian investigators from the Bypol group. – Belarus has long been for Russia with combat production – said Jakub Biernat, a journalist of Belsat.

As on Tuesday was revealed by members of the BYPOL group associating journalists and former members of the services dealing with the exposure of the crime and the abuse of the Lukashenka regime, the KB Production Plant KB “Flealess Drillies” operates at one of the housing estates in Minsk. The production plans of the company, which journalists reached, shows that two types of Kamikaze drones – “Askelon” with a range of up to 310 km and “Mirotworiec” with a range of up to 180 km are to be created there. Both can carry an explosive of up to 10 kg. By the end of this year, the factory is to reach a capacity of 960 pieces a year.

Formally, it is a private enterprise. However, as determined as a result of the investigation, oligarchs and representatives of the regime are involved in business, for example Szejman's Wiktar, former head of the administration of the President of Belarus and his extraordinary representative, one of the few trusted people of Lukashenko.

The documents presented by journalists show that the company has a factory, which in 2023 was bought by another related entity – it will “be ordered by Lietatelnyje cameras”. Investigators Bypol drew attention to the surprisingly low purchase price located in the capital of the plant – 4 million Belarusian rubles (equivalent of less than PLN 4.6 million) – and the fact that this transaction and its conditions were subject to a separate regulation issued in September 2023 by Łukaszenka.

As the authors of the investigative material noted, in the event of an armed conflict, the Armament Production Plant becomes a natural target of attacks, and placing such a factory in a housing estate, among blocks, shops and kindergartens, puts the lives of its inhabitants in danger.

Explaining why Lukashenko's apparatus bothers so much to hide the launch of drones, journalist Belsat Jakub Biernat noticed in a conversation with PAP that Belarus is trying to pretend that he has little in common with the war in Ukraine.

In his opinion, in this way he tries to hide that combat drones are produced from double purpose components. To this end, the path of these elements to Belarus is complicated, for example by multiplying the number of different strange brokers. – And when one of the enterprises is covered by sanctions, the other opens. Of course, private, so that it is as little as possible with the Belarusian state. It was similar with optical sight to Russian tanks – added Biernat.

As in an interview with PAP he explained the expert, the main donor of components to armament armament armament armed in Belarus are China, who are trying to create appearances that they do not support Russia, which of course they do, but quietly.

Jakub Biernat pointed out that Belarus is constantly trying to adapt to the needs of Russia. And this, intensifying the drone war with Ukraine, needs more and more unmanned ships. A plant that produces them, unresolved with Ukrainians' attack is at a premium for Russia, because the one in Tatarstan (a factory in the Special Economic Zone of Alabug, in which the drones of Geran-2 drones are created, which is the Russian version of Iranian Shaaheds-136) can be destroyed.

The expert pointed out that Belarus, covered by sanctions, was trying to patch the budget, earning in war. This state has an outdated, but still operating industrial park, enabling the production and renovation of trucks and military vehicles. “Russia is struggling with a lack of hands to work. That is why Belarus is already a dream base for her,” emphasized PAP.

Jakub Biernat added that it was a conscious policy, but he was quiet, so as not to be exposed to the West too much. Łukaszenka hopes that he will somehow be able to renew contacts with the West, especially with the administration of Donald Trump. (PAP)

Gru/ BST/ MHR/