A Complex With A Shooting Range And A Swimming Pool Is Being Built In Secret In Minsk
- 4.10.2026, 11:49
The classified facility is located on 12 hectares.
On the former experimental plots of the Land Reclamation Institute in Minsk, at the corner of Nekrasova and Bogdanovich Streets, four buildings of a classified complex have been erected behind a closed fence. Its main building houses a shooting range, and according to documents, the chief designer was the “Voenproekt” Institute, which is subordinate to the Ministry of Defense, writes "Zerkalo".
A Secret Construction Project by “Voenproekt”
A 12.38-hectare plot at 51S Nekrasova Street, next to the Park of Friendship of Nations, has been allocated for the construction.
It’s hard to say for sure what’s being built there. There is no publicly available information about the facility, and details about the designer are concealed even in official documents. However, they weren’t able to keep it hidden everywhere—journalists eventually discovered that the lead design firm was the “Voenproekt” Institute, which is subordinate to the Belarusian Ministry of Defense.
They clearly tried to keep the construction project under the radar. On the government procurement portal, it was listed with the vague description “Construction project in Minsk.” And on the official cadastral map, the plot designated for construction is labeled as “for the placement of facilities for other purposes.”
Contracts with contractors stipulate that access to the construction site is strictly prohibited for anyone who is not an employee of the contractor. There is a separate prohibition on taking photos or videos, showing parts of the building to third parties, and disclosing plans, drawings, or any information regarding the functional purpose of the premises.
According to the tender documentation, the secret construction project is funded by the local budget of the city of Minsk, as well as the client’s own funds.
Plans include a shooting range, a swimming pool, and a sauna
The main building of the complex is listed in the cost estimates as “Object M” and in the tender documentation as the “MFC building,” which stands for “multifunctional building.” It has a complex symmetrical configuration that resembles the letter “Ж” in plan view.
The building has a full basement level, three standard above-ground floors, and a fourth technical floor.
The basement level will house a shooting range, as well as a room with walls reinforced with metal mesh—this could be a secure storage facility or a room for storing combat weapons. The other floors will also feature a marble-finished lobby with a grand staircase, a gym, a swimming pool, a sauna, and other facilities.
In March 2025, the administration of the Sovetsky District submitted a detailed planning proposal for this site for public review. Urban planners proposed laying out new streets here and dividing the area into blocks of mixed-use public development—a term typically used to describe offices, business centers, retail, and cultural facilities. One of the blocks was earmarked for the Russian Center for Science and Culture.
Minsk residents at the time proposed preserving the green space by incorporating it into Friendship of Nations Park and objected to the construction of the Russian center on a plot densely overgrown with mature trees. The commission rejected these comments. It justified designating the block for the Russian center by stating that the intersection near Bangalore Square—especially after the opening of the new metro station—is a “critical area of heightened significance.”
The detailed planning project was adopted but never officially approved. Just two months after the public hearings, nearly the entire vacated area was registered as a single plot. By the end of September 2025, satellite images showed active construction underway.
Based on the numbers of the project documents, journalists determined that the design contracts had been signed as early as 2023, and the State Construction Expertise Agency issued a positive review of the project in 2024. This means that the design work began long before the public consultation.