Business Insider: Construction Is Boiling Near Osipovichi At Sites Likely Being Prepared For Russian Nuclear Weapons
- 15.07.2025, 21:02
There are fresh pictures.
Russia is actively modernizing and expanding its nuclear facilities. New satellite images obtained by Business Insider from US satellite company Planet Labs show large-scale construction work at several strategically important bases - including near Osipovichi and in Osipovichi itself in Belarus.
Business Insider has obtained new satellite images showing large-scale construction at Russian nuclear facilities. Four of them are in Europe (Kaliningrad Oblast, the Gadzhievo naval base near Norway and Finland, the Novaya Zemlya archipelago between the Barents and Kara Seas, and the Osipovichi district of Belarus), and one is in the Far East, near Alaska.
Analysts note the erection of new buildings, increased security, roads and platforms, indicating the renewal of infrastructure associated with the nuclear arsenal.
One of the key locations is the site near Osipovichi, where the 1405th ammunition base is located. Images show how new secure facilities have sprung up there in recent years, surrounded by triple fences, with communications antennas and a sheltered entrance.
Experts believe this is where storage facilities for tactical nuclear weapons are being prepared - most likely to be delivered by rail rather than air, according to Hans Christensen, director of the Federation of American Scientists' Nuclear Information Project. A special unloading ramp, presumably leading to a bunker, is also visible in the northeastern part of the base.
In addition, another military base has been discovered in Osipovichi itself, where Iskander missile launchers capable of carrying nuclear warheads have been placed. According to analysts, these launchers were transferred to Belarus by Russia by the end of 2022, while garages and other auxiliary buildings have been built next to them. Satellite images show that these facilities are actively used.
Although there is no evidence of nuclear warheads at these bases yet, experts believe that they could be placed there if necessary. Right now, they are most likely to be located on Russian territory, for example, near Bryansk, about 200 miles from Osipovichi. In particular, this opinion was expressed by senior researcher of the UN Institute for Disarmament Research Pavel Podvig.
We will remind, back in March, "Radio Svaboda" wrote in its investigation that the Belarusian authorities are rapidly developing military infrastructure in Osipovichi, according to the analysis of satellite images. According to military experts, Russian nuclear weapons may be deployed here.