In Belarus's Gomel Region, close to the state border with Ukraine, construction is underway on railway infrastructure designed for the mass and rapid unloading of heavy wheeled and tracked military equipment directly from military trains. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the Belarusian service of "Radio Svoboda" (Radio Liberty) and project documentation obtained by the Belarusian Railway Workers' Association. According to sources, the facility, officially titled "Construction of a Training Ground in the Gomel Region," is being designed in the area of the Yakimovka railway station, with the "Military Design Institute" listed as the client in the documentation.
Railway Logistics at the Border
According to the verified project parameters, a separate siding is being built near Yakimovka station, designed to receive a full military train of up to 60 cars and flatbeds. Adjacent to it is a freight platform with an elevated side and end ramp (inclined ramp), allowing heavy tracked equipment — tanks, BMPs, self-propelled artillery — as well as wheeled armored vehicles to be unloaded within a compressed timeframe. This configuration turns the site into a specialized logistics terminal capable of rapidly deploying armored and tank units in the operational direction toward Ukraine's Chernihiv Region.
Technical Parameters of the Facility
The construction and intended purpose of the complex are confirmed by state procurement records (including through "Gomelsky DSK"), satellite imagery, state cadastral map data, and monitoring by OSINT groups. On the cadastral maps, the eastern part of the facility is marked as a "military town" — barracks, headquarters and box-type buildings for equipment — while the western part is designated as a "tactical training field" with firing ranges. In June 2026, media reported the completion of construction of part of the military town's facilities; as of the end of August 2026, the laying of railway tracks is ongoing.
Military-Strategic Context
The new complex is being created as part of the formation of the Southern Operational Command of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus and, according to verified data, is intended, among other things, for the deployment of units of the 37th Separate Brigade by 2027. Large-scale construction near Gomel has continued since late 2023. The context of the strengthening of the southern direction should be viewed against the backdrop of Belarus's broader role in Russia's war against Ukraine: since the start of the full-scale invasion, Alexander Lukashenko's regime has provided Moscow with territory for the transfer of troops, the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons and "Oreshnik" hypersonic missiles, and in 2026 Kyiv reported plans to establish ground-based control points for long-range strike drones on Belarusian territory. Meanwhile, Ukrainian border guards have so far recorded no signs of direct preparation for an offensive.
Contradictory Data
Open sources contain terminological discrepancies: some materials describe the facility as a "training ground," while others describe it as a "railway hub." According to verified data, there is no contradiction here — it is a single large-scale military complex combining a tactical training field, a military town, and a specialized railway logistics branch with an unloading ramp. A separate discrepancy concerns the type of unit being formed: in some publications the 37th Brigade appears as an airborne-storm structure of the Special Operations Forces, whereas in the verified operational parameters it is designated as a mechanized brigade with a prospective deployment by 2027. These inconsistencies in naming and deadlines persist and require further clarification as official documentation becomes available.
