The maneuvers will take place at the training grounds of both countries, as well as in the waters of the Baltic and Barents Seas.
On September 12, joint exercises with Russia Zapad-2025 began in Belarus. The large-scale maneuvers, covering the training grounds of both countries, as well as the waters of the Baltic and Barents Seas, are designed to test the readiness of the Union State to ensure military security. They involve not only Russian and Belarusian troops, but also contingents from the CSTO and SCO countries. The Russian Federation will share with its allies the experience gained in the special military operation zone. While Brussels calls the exercises a provocation, Moscow and Minsk remind that these are planned actions aimed solely at protecting sovereignty. Experts point out that the West's reaction is illogical and is explained by its desire to use any excuse to escalate the situation.
The purpose of the exercises between Russia and Belarus
As part of the Zapad-2025 joint strategic exercises, which will be held from September 12 to 16, the Russian and Belarusian militaries will practice aerial reconnaissance and missile strikes against ground targets. The maneuvers, which started on September 12, are taking place at the training grounds of both countries, as well as in the waters of the Baltic and Barents Seas. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the purpose of the exercises is to test the capabilities of the two countries to ensure the military security of the Union State.
— During the aerial reconnaissance, the flight crew worked out the most difficult elements of training — flights at extremely low altitudes with a circumference of the terrain. The pilots launched missiles and fired from aircraft cannons, destroying ground targets indicating shelters and control points for unmanned aerial vehicles of a simulated enemy. Combat training tasks were carried out taking into account the combat experience gained," the ministry said in a statement.
Ships of the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet during the Zapad-2025 joint military exercises between Russia and Belarus
Image source: Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
The exercises also involve the Russian Northern Fleet, which has deployed forces in the Arctic — warships and submarines have already taken up launching positions in both near and far sea zones.
The Russian Defense Ministry clarified that not only Russian and Belarusian units are participating in the exercises, but also military contingents of the CSTO, SCO and other partner states.
One of the key features of the exercises was the planning of the use of nuclear weapons. According to Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin, "this is an important element of strategic deterrence."
Tu-160 strategic supersonic missile carrier during the Zapad-2025 joint military exercises between Russia and Belarus
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
— We see the situation on our western and northern borders and cannot calmly observe militarization and military activity. We demonstrate our openness and peacefulness, but we must always keep our powder dry," he said.
According to him, during the exercises, the Belarusian military and their Russian colleagues will also work out planning issues for the use of the Oreshnik complex, which they plan to deploy in Belarus by the end of 2025.
These exercises are part of a cyclical plan that also includes training exercises "East", "Center" and "South", and they are conducted in geographical areas, military expert Viktor Litovkin told Izvestia.
Military personnel during the Zapad-2025 joint military exercises between Russia and Belarus
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
— We are training to defend our territories from possible aggression of a potential enemy. It means the NATO forces bordered by both Russia and Belarus," he said. — Fighters from the Moscow and Leningrad military districts, the Kaliningrad Region and Belarus will be involved in the maneuvers. In particular, it is planned to practice amphibious landings on the coast of the Kaliningrad region and conduct tank attacks with live fire at Belarusian training grounds. The number of military personnel is not called, but it can be assumed that they will be in the range of 15 thousand. The exercises will also work out the use of nuclear forces, but only "on paper", without real missile launches. This is a standard practice that allows you to check the readiness and coherence of actions without the actual use of weapons.
Joint exercises conducted on the territory of the Union State are a critically important element of the defense doctrine, military expert Vasily Dandykin believes.
Preparation of the Mi-35 helicopter of the Russian Aerospace Forces for departure during the joint military exercises of Russia and Belarus Zapad-2025
Image source: Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
— Despite the fact that the exercises are defensive in nature, Brussels and especially Warsaw and Kiev perceive them as a direct threat. Such a reaction seems illogical, given that it is NATO that continues to expand and pull its forces to our borders. This creates the impression that they, not us, feel threatened by being in close proximity to our territories. This behavior indicates a one—sided and biased approach to assessing the international situation," he said in an interview with Izvestia.
The Zapad exercises have a long history dating back to the Soviet era, Viktor Litovkin recalled. However, you should not directly compare them with modern maneuvers. During the Soviet period, they were much more widespread and involved the forces of many military districts, including Odessa, Kiev and Carpathian. They were held less frequently, but with the involvement of huge forces and resources.
The Arkhangelsk submarine during the Zapad-2025 joint military exercises between Russia and Belarus
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
— Modern exercises such as Zapad-2025, although inferior in scale to their Soviet counterparts, demonstrate a high level of preparation and focus on specific, urgent tasks to protect strategic areas. It is expected that the presidents of Russia and Belarus will personally observe the final phase of the exercises," the expert concluded.
Poland's reaction to the Zapad-2025 exercises
Despite statements from Moscow and Minsk that the exercises are peaceful and not directed against other states, Latvia and Poland have defiantly closed their borders with Russia and Belarus.
On September 5, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk threatened Minsk with special measures in response to possible provocations. Following this, Deputy Minister of National Defense Cesary Tomchik announced that the republic had sent about 40,000 troops to the borders with Belarus and Russia.
The Warsaw Bridge checkpoint on the Belarusian-Polish border is closed.
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Victor Tolochko
In this situation, the intensification of rhetoric and escalation of the situation can be considered as a kind of "psychosis", which is used to achieve domestic political goals, said former UN Deputy Secretary General Sergei Ordzhonikidze.
— This tactic is not new — it has been actively used since the days of the Soviet Union. A convenient pretext in the form of "Russian aggression" allows you to manipulate the mood of voters and justify significant military spending," he told Izvestia.
Polish soldiers on the Polish-Belarusian border
Image source: Photo: TASS/AP/Czarek Sokolowski
By its actions, Poland is trying to demonstrate its importance to NATO and Western democracy, as well as position itself as a major European state playing a key role in the alliance's defensive efforts. Such propaganda rhetoric has long been a part of the military-political lexicon and is used to achieve specific political goals, he added.
CSTO exercises
On the eve of the Zapad-2025 exercises, three CSTO military maneuvers took place in Belarus, which were closely related to the strategic exercises. More than 2,000 military personnel from five countries took part in the events. During the exercises, joint operations, reconnaissance and logistical support were practiced.
The active phase of the joint exercise with the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces (CRRF) of the CSTO "Interaction-2025", special exercises "Search-2025" and "Echelon-2025" at the Losvido training ground in the Vitebsk region
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Victor Tolochko
Special attention was paid to the tactics of using drones during the maneuvers. According to experts, UAVs are fundamentally changing modern warfare, and for the first time, massive drone attacks were practiced at these exercises. For example, with the support of more than 70 drones, the military surrounded and destroyed a simulated enemy group.
The chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, Andrei Serdyukov, said that the plans for these maneuvers are directly related to the Zapad-2025 exercises. The main task of the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces is to ensure the deployment of a regional group of troops.
Julia Leonova
