TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The last time Russia and Belarus held major joint military drills in 2022, Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine just days later. Now the two close allies are conducting war games again, raising tensions anew in the region.
The war games, dubbed “Zapad 2025,” or “West 2025,” take place in Belarus starting Friday and will last until Sept. 16. Troops from both countries will simulate repelling an attack, including airstrikes and sabotage, according to official reports.
The aim is to showcase the close links between Moscow and Minsk, as well as Russian military might amid its 3½-year-old war in neighboring Ukraine.
The exercises have drawn concerns in Kyiv and its Western allies of Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, which border Belarus. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops rolling into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, many of them crossing from Belarus.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry cautioned that this year’s exercise “hinders peaceful efforts” to end the war and “poses an immediate threat not only to Ukraine but also to Poland, the Baltic states, and all of Europe.”
On Wednesday, tensions in the region spiked further when Poland reported that multiple Russian drones had entered its territory and were downed with NATO assistance. The Polish Prime Minister suggested that a significant number of those drones originated from Belarus.
Belarusian defense officials initially claimed around 13,000 troops would participate in the exercise but later reduced that estimate. The drills are seen as both a display of military readiness and a signal of Belarus’s alignment with Russian interests amid strained relations with the West.
During these maneuvers, Belarusian troops will practice strategies related to the use of Russian nuclear weapons, as the countries coordinate their military tactics in light of ongoing conflicts.
Despite a narrative of de-escalation, NATO members remain wary of the implications of these drills, especially with the Suwalki Gap—a critical strip of land between Belarus and Kaliningrad—being a focal point of monitoring from NATO allies.
While some analysts predict the number of troops involved may vary, the buildup has prompted Poland and Lithuania to conduct their military exercises simultaneously, emphasizing a preparatory stance in the face of suspected aggressive maneuvers from Belarus and Russia.
