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Russia Builds Air Defense Shield Around Belarus Base Suspected of Hosting Oreshnik Missile, Satellite Images Reveal
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Satellite intelligence has indicateed that Russia is constructing a multi-tiered air defense and electronic warfare umbrella around the Krychaw military airfield in Belarus, heavily fortifying the suspected deployment site of the Oreshnik ballistic missile system.
Analysis of February 17 Planet Labs imagery by Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe investigative journalists revealed at least six fortified positions within a five-kilometer radius of the base.
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Visual signatures and shadow configurations suggest the presence of Tor-M2 and Pantsir short-range air defense systems, alongside Krasukha or Moskva-1 electronic warfare units. These systems are strategically deployed to neutralize aviation, drone, and missile threats, while simultaneously suppressing Russian navigation.
According to Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe an object resembling an S-300 long-range surface-to-air missile system was also identified on site.
The fortification timeline closely tracks the missile's alleged operational deployment. Initial groundworks for these defensive positions began in November 2025. By mid-December—aligning with Alexander Lukashenko’s claim that the Oreshnik had been placed on “combat duty”—the defensive perimeter was firmly established.
Currently, equipped positions are dispersed across several surrounding settlements, including Zarubets, Hannauka, Paloshkava, and Krasnaya Buda. These sites are reinforced with excavated trenches, defensive earthen ramparts, and potential radar stations.
Inside the central military compound, imagery confirms the continued presence of six large vehicles. Their dimensions directly match the Oreshnik hardware showcased by Russian and Belarusian defense ministries in December 2025. Hangar construction to house this strategic equipment remains actively ongoing, according to Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe.
Anatoliy Khrapchynskyi, a Ukrainian aviation expert and deputy director of an electronic warfare manufacturing company, analyzed the imagery and confirmed that the site exhibits all the hallmarks of a high-value strategic deployment.
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“If Russia deploys an intercontinental ballistic missile or a system like the ‘Oreshnik’, it will in any case build an air defense system to cover this object, as it has strategic significance for it. And correspondingly, an echeloned model of such defense: long-range systems, for example, of the S-300 class, can be covered by short-range systems, such as the ‘Pantsir’ or ‘Tor’,” Khrapchynskyi stated.
He further emphasized that the scale and density of the fortifications highlight the critical nature of the asset to Moscow and Minsk.
“We are talking about a closed military camp with a huge level of protection—both ground and air. Such a level of cover is usually provided for truly important objects,” Khrapchynskyi added.
Earlier, it was reported that Ukrainian forces likely neutralized multiple drone relay stations situated within Belarusian territory that were utilized to coordinate Iranian-designed Shahed attack drones.
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