Russia Has Set Up Five Launch Sites For "Shahed" Drones Near The Border With Belarus
2- 13.06.2026, 8:22
- 3,748
The facilities are located in the Bryansk, Oryol, and Smolensk regions.
The Russian military has deployed and is actively using at least five launch sites for "Shahed" attack drones (known in Russia as "Geran") near the border with Belarus. This was reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty citing analysis of satellite imagery and open sources. The sites are located in the Bryansk, Oryol, and Smolensk regions—several dozen kilometers from Belarusian territory—and some of them continue to expand.
Among the identified sites is the “Shatalovo” military airfield in the Smolensk region, located approximately 46 kilometers from the border with Belarus and in use since early 2025. In the Oryol region, near the village of Tsimbulovo, a drone center has been established, which the propaganda channel “Zvezda” called “the largest in the world”: its area spans nearly 2 by 4 kilometers, housing at least 12 launchers and about a hundred storage facilities for drones. In the Bryansk region, several facilities stand out: a complex in Navle, built from scratch in the fall of 2024 approximately 127 kilometers from the border; the Seshcha airfield, which was used for launches as early as 2022–2023 and is located 45 kilometers from Belarus; and a new facility near the village of Asovitsa, which began operations in the fall of 2025.
According to the publication, locating these facilities near Belarus reduces the flight time for drones to reach Kyiv and western regions of Ukraine, as well as allows for varied attack routes. Ukrainian military expert Anatoliy Khrapchynskyi calls this location “the most advantageous,” explaining that the proximity to the Belarusian border allows drones to either strike Kyiv directly or move along the border toward western regions of Ukraine. A representative of the Ukrainian Air Force Yuriy Ignat, in turn, notes that Russian drones are deliberately “hugging” the Belarusian border, which complicates the work of Ukrainian air defense, and are also using Belarusian territory as a transit corridor.
In Belarus itself, there has been a sharp increase in airspace violations. The commander of the country’s Air Force and air defense forces Andrei Lukyanovich reported that more than 1,400 such incidents were recorded in 2025 alone. Belarusian Security Council Secretary Alexander Volfovich stated that 116 violations were recorded in a single week in May 2026. And the Commander of the Internal Troops Nikolai Karpenkov claimed that in 2025, approximately 520 drones were neutralized on the country’s territory, a third of which were combat drones. At the same time, Belarusian authorities generally do not identify these drones as Russian, while the Ukrainian side asserts that the overwhelming majority of them are “Shaheds” and “Gerbera,” which use Belarusian airspace to launch attacks on Ukraine, as Radio Liberty points out.
Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims
You can contact us by the e-mail charter97@gmail.com
