Leaked Documents Highlight China’s Role in New Belarusian Ammo Plant

A new report has revealed critical details regarding China’s role in establishing a new Belarussian factory that is expected to supply artillery ammunition to the Russian military. The February 23 report by Japanese newspaper Nikkei Asia highlights that, despite Chinese claims of neutrality, Beijing continues to play an indispensable part in fueling Russia’s four-year war against Ukraine.

New Belarusian Factory

In 2023, Belarus launched a secret project, codenamed “Uchastok,” to establish production of 122mm and 152mm artillery rounds and 122mm rockets, according to a December 2025 investigation by the Belarusian opposition group BELPOL, citing leaked documents. The factory, owned by a newly established firm named ZKI, is located at a defunct Soviet military base around 60 kilometers south of the capital Minsk. It is reportedly financed by Belinvestbank, a top Belarusian bank sanctioned by the U.S. following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Satellite imagery indicates that construction began in 2024. According to BELPOL, the plant is scheduled for completion by December 2026. Factory plans reportedly aim for the initial production of 120,000 shells and 120,000 rockets per year. At least some of these munitions are likely intended for Russia, as a document obtained by Nikkei appears to suggest. Belarus also supplied substantial quantities of artillery ammunition to Russia earlier in the war.

Chinese and Russian Production Lines

To assist with assembling the plant, the Belarusians struck agreements with Russian and Chinese firms to provide key production lines. Companies from those countries, and possibly Iran and Pakistan, are also expected to supply explosives for the munitions, BELPOL found.

According to Nikkei, one of ZKI’s co-owners and the state-owned China National Electronics Import and Export Corporation (CEIEC) signed a $26.8 million contract in December 2023 under which CEIEC would design and supply a production line used to fill rocket warheads with explosives. CEIEC is one of China’s main exporters of defense-related equipment. Washington has sanctioned the firm for providing air defense radars to Iran and for exporting surveillance equipment to former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro’s regime.

The deal obligates CEIEC to provide technical documentation, production equipment, and a one-month training program in China for Belarussian workers. The contract also specifies that Chinese specialists would visit ZKI to help launch production. Minutes from a meeting last year indicated that equipment would be installed between March and July 2026.

U.S. Should Consistently Penalize Actors Fueling Russia’s War Machine

Given China’s key role in supporting the Russian defense-industrial base over the course of the war, CEIEC’s contribution to the Belarusian plant is unsurprising.

China is a critical supplier of machine tools, microelectronics, nitrocellulose, and other key inputs for many Russian defense companies — as well as a conduit for the illicit procurement of goods from the West. China similarly supplies key components, equipment, and entire production lines to other Belarusian defense enterprises beyond ZKI that are suppliers for the Russian defense industry. In addition, China has also propped up the Russian economy as the leading buyer of Russian energy exports, with Chinese firms importing an estimated 2.07 million barrels of oil per day in February — a record high amid falling shipments to India. 

Nevertheless, the Trump administration has yet to punish companies in China or any other country for violating sanctions on Russia. Without consistent enforcement, sanctions become less effective. Making life easier for the Russian war machine can hardly improve U.S. leverage in peace talks with Moscow. Washington should also think twice before handing further sanctions relief to Belarus, given its deepening integration into the Russian defense industry.

Jack Burnham is a senior research analyst in the China Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where John Hardie is deputy director of the Russia Program. For more analysis from the authors and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Jack on X @JackBurnham802. Follow John on X @JohnH105. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.