Russian air defense system installed at oil depot in Belarus, 30 km from Ukraine's border

In Belarus, a Russian air defense system was installed on the territory of the Mozyr Oil Refinery. It is likely to be a Tor anti-aircraft missile system, reports radio Liberty's Schemes project.

Planet Labs satellite images from 2025 were analyzed. The air defense system was installed at the refinery in early August, and the construction of the positions began in January last year. Firing points, trenches and blockades were also set up around the refinery.

Aviation expert Anatoliy Khrapchynsky pointed out that it could be a Thor. According to him, this is indicated by the shape of the shadow from the installation, which can be seen on the Planet Labs satellite image of January 16, 2026.

"We can see that the object in the image has a shadow similar to a tank (turret and chassis), and its length and width clearly correspond to the dimensions of a system such as the Tor. Most likely, this is a modern Tor-M2, which is built, in particular, on a chassis from the Belarusian Minsk Wheeled Tractor Plant," Khrapchynsky said.

Back in 2022, a number of media outlets reported that Russia could have transferred at least 15 Tor-M2 air defense systems to Belarus.

Mozyr Oil Refinery produces gasoline, diesel fuel and other petroleum products. It is located 30 km north of the border with Ukraine.

• At the end of December 2025, Reuters reported that Russia was likely to, will be placed by Oreshnik at a former air base in Belarus.
• Zelensky says Russia is deploying equipment for targeting "shaheeds" on high-rise buildings in Belarus.