Belarus Deploys Tor Air Defense System to Protect Mozyr Oil Refinery

Belarus has deployed a Tor air defense system at the Mozyr Oil Refinery, located near the Ukrainian border.

According to Schemes (Radio Free Europe), the deployment was identified through analysis of Planet Labs satellite imagery.

Construction of a dedicated site for the air defense missile system began in January 2025, and the Tor system itself was installed there in August.

Additionally, in January 2025, the monitoring group Belarusian Hajun reported the construction of further defensive measures around the refinery, including firing positions, trenches, and checkpoints.

This Belarusian oil refinery is located in the city of Mozyr, Gomel Region, approximately 30 km north of the border with Ukraine.

The facility specializes in the production of fuel, bitumen, and petrochemical products, with a significant portion exported. The refinery is strategically important to the Belarusian economy and plays a key role in processing Russian crude oil.

Tor Systems in Belarus

Last November, Belarusian ground forces received an eighth battery of Tor-M2K surface-to-air missile systems from Russia.

The initial contracts for the purchase of these systems were signed in 2015, with the first deliveries in 2016.

Under the initial agreement, Belarus was to receive five batteries. Later, it likely placed an order for additional Tor-M2K systems, which are based on the Belarusian MZKT-6922 wheeled chassis.

The system uses 16 9M338K surface-to-air missiles with vertical launch and radio-command guidance, with a maximum engagement range of 16 km and an interception altitude of 10 km.

In addition to the missiles, the rotating launcher carries two radar stations – one for detecting aerial targets and another for guiding the missiles. The guidance system can simultaneously direct up to four missiles at a single target.