Moscow: Russia and Belarus on Friday opened large-scale joint military exercises that Moscow says are aimed at bolstering the two allies’ ability to respond to regional threats, but which have already heightened tensions with neighboring NATO members.
The drills, code-named Zapad 2025 (Russian for “West 2025”), mark the culmination of this year’s combined training program between the two countries’ armed forces, according to a statement from Russia’s Defense Ministry carried by state news agency TASS.
Scheduled to run through September 16, the exercise spans training grounds in Belarus and western Russia as well as portions of the Baltic and Barents Seas. Russian officials say troops will rehearse command and control of battlegroups in the event of “localized aggression” against the Union State — the loose political and security bloc linking Moscow and Minsk.
“The objectives are to sharpen commanders’ decision-making, improve coordination and raise the readiness of regional and coalition forces to maintain peace and protect common interests,” the ministry said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the drills “are not directed at third countries.”
The maneuvers, however, come amid a sharp war of words with Warsaw. On September 10, Poland and its NATO allies scrambled fighter jets after several Russian drones reportedly crossed Polish airspace. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Moscow’s “provocation” was aimed at destabilizing not just Poland but all of Europe. “Anyone who wants to attack Poland will be dealt with appropriately,” he warned, adding that the country is now “closer to open conflict” than at any point since World War II.
Poland closed its last open border crossings with Belarus overnight ahead of the exercises. Lithuania and Latvia, also NATO members, have stepped up security and announced partial airspace closures. Belarus’s Defense Ministry said part of Zapad 2025 will take place near Borisov, east of Minsk.
The French government signaled support for Poland on Thursday, with President Emmanuel Macron announcing the deployment of three Rafale fighter jets to help protect Polish airspace following the drone incursions.
NATO — the 30-member military alliance headquartered in Brussels — has yet to comment formally on the drills but has repeatedly said it is monitoring Russian activity near the bloc’s eastern flank.
