Suspected arms transport: Chinese planes made mystery flights to Belarus

Members of the Belarusian Hain project, a group dedicated to monitoring military movements and armament in Belarus, ascertain that the Boeing 747-4FTF flew the specified route for four consecutive days from January 8th to the 11th. Each flight arrived at Minsk airport at roughly the same time and stayed for approximately three hours.

It was also noted that the Chinese plane consistently occupied a spot designated for government operative aircraft, including those used by President Alexander Lukashenko. The Belarusian Hain group suspects that the Chinese airlines' plane delivered military equipment to Belarus, which was quickly exported from the airport with maximum discretion to avoid drawing attention.

"Exact contents transported by these four flights remain a mystery. However, all signs point towards military payloads," was stated in a brief message.

The Ukrainian portal, Defence Express, dismisses the idea of these flights being secret arms deliveries to be handed over to Russia for use in the ongoing war. Instead, it suggests the focus may have been to supply military equipment for the Belarusian army.

Defence Express speculates these deliveries could contain Chinese armored vehicles CS/VN3 Dajiang, which have been part of the Belarusian army since 2017. Past deliveries by the same Chinese airlines plane were recorded. The estimated yield for the new batch could be about 16-20 of these vehicles, each weighing just under 20,000 lbs and capable of reaching speeds up to 75 mph. The Belarusian versions are outfitted with 12.7 mm machine guns.

Another potential payload, as suggested by Defence Express, is ammunition and components for the Polonez-M missile systems. Belarus worked with China in developing these systems and requires local components and missiles. The Polonez-M is among the most modern weaponry possessed by the Lukashenko regime, capable of hitting targets up to 186 miles away.