On Saturday, 22 November 2025, the press service of the Belarusian 120th Guards Rogachev Independent Mechanized Brigade, awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of Suvorov, and the Order of Kutuzov, announced on its Telegram channel the reception of the first batch of MZKT-690003-021 Volat V2 wheeled armored personnel carriers, equipped with the Adunok-BM-30 remotely operated weapon station.
Photo: Gyrtivci via Telegram
No details were provided on how many vehicles were delivered to the unit, which is garrisoned in Minsk. Only one photograph was published, showing at least three vehicles.
It is worth noting that the MZKT-690003-021 Volat V2 formally entered service with the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus about half a year ago, on 16 May of this year, when the Belarusian State Military-Industrial Committee (Gosudarstvenny Voenno-Promyshlenny Komitet, GVPK) announced the successful completion of state trials (photos from the trials had appeared online in November 2023).
During the 10th MILEX exhibition (23–26 June 2021), the Belarusian state-owned company PAT MZKT (Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant) presented a prototype wheeled armored personnel carrier designated MZKT-690003 BTR-V2 in an 8×8 configuration, equipped with a standard BMP-2 turret modified for the new platform.
The MZKT-690003-021 Volat V2 and the MZKT-690003 BTR-V2 share the same chassis. The vehicles reportedly have an empty weight of 19.9 t and a combat weight of 24 t (with additional armor). They are powered by a Chinese power-pack with a six-cylinder Weichai Power WP13.560 diesel engine producing 560 hp (instead of the WP13.480A0 rated at 480 hp), generating 2300 Nm of torque at 1400 rpm, coupled with an MZKT-55613 six-speed hydromechanical transmission produced by the Belarusian MWTP. This setup provides a top road speed of over 110 km/h and a swimming speed of up to 8 km/h thanks to two waterjets. The operational range is up to 900 km at an average speed of 80 km/h, supported by two 220-liter fuel tanks. The crew consists of three soldiers (commander, driver-mechanic, gunner) and the vehicle can carry up to eight dismounts.
The vehicles are fitted with independent hydropneumatic suspension and tubeless 14.00R20 run-flat tires. They can handle slopes of 31 degrees, vertical obstacles 0.5 meters high, and anti-tank ditches up to 2 meters wide, and operate in temperatures from –40°C to +40°C. They can be transported by aircraft such as the Il-76, An-22, and An-124 Ruslan.
The welded hull provides frontal ballistic protection at Br5 level and side protection at Br4 level under the Belarusian GOST 34282-2017 standard. Mine protection meets NATO STANAG 4569 Level 2a/2b requirements, offering resistance to 6 kg of TNT under the wheels and 1 kg under the hull.
The Adunok-BM-30 remotely operated weapon station (ROWS) was designed by the Belarusian design bureau KB Displej and unveiled in May 2021. Like the turret on the MZKT-690003 BTR-V2, it is armed with a 30 mm 2A42 automatic cannon (stabilized in two planes), paired with a 7.62 mm PKT/PKTM machine gun. It is additionally equipped with Konkurs-RB anti-tank guided missile launchers and smoke grenade launchers. The detection range is 6000 m, with an effective engagement range of 4000 m.
Additional equipment includes: the BIUS onboard information and control system, a digital navigation system, a filtration and ventilation unit, a fire suppression and smoke extraction system, a video monitoring system, the WZGLIAD-IR thermal imaging suite (by BelOMO), and a self-recovery winch.
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus currently operate the following tracked armored vehicles: 154 BMD-1s (airborne units), 132 BMP-1s (including BRM-1K command variants), and 932 BMP-2s, as well as wheeled APCs: 39 BTR-70MB1s and 153 BTR-80s (including over 100 BTR-82As ordered in September 2015 and August 2020).
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