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Zapad 2025

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Zapad 2025
Part of Russian military presence and Cooperation in Belarus during the Russo Ukrainian war (Current phase)
Date (2025-September-12) (2025-September-16)September 12–16, 2025 (final phase)
Location
Belarus, Russia
Number
~13,000

Zapad 2025 (Russian: Запад-2025, Belarusian: Захад-2025, romanized: Zakhad-2025, lit. 'West 2025') was a Russian-Belarusian joint strategic military exercise, that took place in Belarus on 12–16 September 2025.[1] Belarus has said the drills will test the Union State's defensive readiness, with main activities staged at central training areas near Barysaw and a reciprocal movement of units between the two states.[2] It is the first Zapad exercise since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022; authorities describe a scaled-down format and locations deeper inside Belarus.[3]

Belarus has indicated an official participation figure of roughly 13,000 personnel, substantially fewer than the ~200,000 claimed for Zapad 2021.[3] Analysts note that headline figures in past iterations sometimes understate the true scale and dispersal of activity; some commentaries anticipate higher effective numbers across parallel events.[4][5]

The exercises are conducted on multiple bases in Belarus and Russia, including the Kaliningrad oblast enclave.[6]

Belarusian officials say the exercise will include training related to nuclear weapons employment and practice involving Russia's Oreshnik missile system, described as nuclear-capable and slated for delivery to Belarus by late 2025.[7][8][2]

Minsk states that it has invited all 56 states under the OSCE Vienna Document to observe, plus additional partners, including NATO countries and accredited military attachés, with responses requested by 20 August 2025.[9] Military observers from three NATO member states participated in the exercises. The United States were represented by two military observers,[10] while Turkey and Hungary, also NATO members, each sent their respective representatives.[11][12]

Participants

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Indian personnel departs to participate in Zapad 2025 military exercise

The edition of the exercise will see the participation of over twenty countries including, besides Russia and Belarus, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Congo, Mali, India, Iran, Niger and Tajikistan. Among the observers will be Cambodia, China, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Serbia, Thailand, the UAE and Uzbekistan.[13][12]

A 65-member contingent from the Indian Armed Forces is participating in the exercise, and on 9 September 2025, it departed to Mulino Training Ground, Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia. A 57 personnel team of the Indian Army will be led by a battalion from the Kumaon Regiment, the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy will be represented by seven and one personnel, respectively. The exercise will focus on company-level cooperation in an open and plain terrain.[14][15]

Reactions

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EU analysts warn Zapad-2025 could be used to apply pressure near NATO's eastern flank or serve as cover for escalation, even if the exercise is officially presented as defensive.[5][4] Some commentary also highlights the recurring pattern of public participant counts hovering near thresholds that would otherwise compel mandatory observation under the Vienna Document.[4]

On 9 September 2025, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Poland would close its border with Belarus at midnight on 11 September, citing national security concerns over aggressive military tactics that were to take place near the Polish border during the Zapad-2025 exercises. Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the border would only be reopened when the government was certain that there was no longer a threat to Polish citizens.[16] NATO and neighboring countries like Lithuania have also strengthened their border security in response to the exercises. Relations between Poland and Belarus have been increasingly strained since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with both countries recently arresting each other's nationals on espionage charges, further escalating tensions. Belarus condemned the closure, describing it as an "abuse" of Poland's geographic position.[17] The border was closed on 12 September.[18]

Lithuania closed the airspace near the border with Belarus,[19] and Latvia closed the airspace near the border with Belarus and Russia, in connection with the Zapad exercises.[20] Polish airspace adjacent to the Belarusian border was subject to flight restrictions on September 10.[21] Airspace closures were partly caused by the Russian drone incursion into Poland.[20][21]

On 11 September, the day before of the exercises, Lukashenko released and deported to Lithuania 52 political prisoners after negotiations with the Trump administration, including one of the Belarusian opposition leaders Mikola Statkevich, who refused the deportation. Nathan Hodge of CNN notes that "against the background of Zapad and its attendant saber-rattling, Lukashenko may be playing good cop to Putin's bad cop".[16]

European exercises

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Simultaneously with Zapad 2025, the Joint Expeditionary Force is running its own military exercise in the Baltic sea, TARASSIS, in which eleven countries participate.[22] Poland is running the "Iron Defender" exercises which involves more than 30 thousand Polish personnel near the Polish-Belarusian border; Lithuania run their "Perkūno Griausmas 2025" ("Thunder of Perkunas 2025") exercises with more than 17 thousand personnel involved; and Latvia runs its "Namejs 2025" exercises with more than 12 thousand people involved.[23][24][25]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "На учениях «Запад-2025» военные отработали совместное применение дронов". RBC.
  2. ^ a b "Zapad 2025, Oreshnik missiles, response to threats in defense minister's report to Belarus president". eng.belta.by. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  3. ^ a b Times, The Moscow (12 August 2025). "Russia and Belarus to Hold First Zapad Military Drills Since Ukraine Invasion on Sept. 12-16". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Beznosiuk, Maksym (4 August 2025). "Russia Marshals its Strength for Zapad-2025". CEPA. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  5. ^ a b MAŽYLIS, Liudas. "Parliamentary question: Joint Russian-Belarusian military exercise 'Zapad 2025'". European Parliament. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  6. ^ Vilmantas Venckūnas; Martyna Pikelytė (August 14, 2025). "Viceministras: "Zapad" pratybose turėtų dalyvauti ne daugiau kaip 30 tūkst. karių". LRT.
  7. ^ "Belarus' Defence Minister: Zapad-2025 exercise to practice planning of nuclear weapon deployment, use of Oreshnik missile". www.sb.by (in Russian). Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  8. ^ "Zapad-2025 military drills include training in nuclear weapons use: Belarus". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Khrenin: International observers, including from NATO countries, invited to monitor Zapad 2025". eng.belta.by. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  10. ^ Hopkins, Valerie; Heitmann, Nanna (15 September 2025). "Surprising Guests at Belarus-Russia War Games: Two American Observers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 15 September 2025.
  11. ^ "U.S. military observers pay surprise visit to Belarus to observe war games with Russia". NBC News. 2025-09-15. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  12. ^ a b "NATO observers, including Türkiye, monitor Russia-Belarus Zapad-2025 military exercise". Türkiye Today. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
  13. ^ Sharma, Shivani (2025-09-08). "India to join Russia-led military drills, Pakistan to attend as observer". India Today. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
  14. ^ "Indian Armed Forces contingent departs for multilateral Exercise Zapad 2025 in Russia" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 2025-09-09. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
  15. ^ "Armed Forces contingent leaves for Russia to join multilateral military exercise". The Hindu. 2025-09-09. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
  16. ^ a b Hodge, Nathan (September 12, 2025). "Russia-Belarus military drill tests nerves on NATO's eastern flank at the end of a tense week". CNN.
  17. ^ "Poland to close Belarus border due to Russia-led military exercises, PM says". Reuters. 9 September 2025. Archived from the original on 9 September 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  18. ^ "Польша закрыла границу с Беларусью. На переходах протянули колючую проволоку и установили бетонные блоки Пересечь границу не смогли больше полутора тысяч машин и десятки автобусов". Meduza.
  19. ^ Stankevičius, Augustas (2025-08-21). "Lithuania closes part of airspace near Belarus ahead of Zapad military drills". lrt.lt. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  20. ^ a b "UPDATED: Latvia closes airspace along its eastern border". eng.lsm.lv. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  21. ^ a b "Zmiany na polsko-białoruskiej granicy: zamknięcie przejść granicznych i przestrzeni powietrznej". Podlaski Urząd Wojewódzki w Białymstoku (in Polish). Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  22. ^ "Начинаются российско-белорусские учения «Запад-2025». Их участники будут «планировать использовать» ядерное оружие Войска стран НАТО одновременно проводят свои маневры". Meduza.
  23. ^ "Учения с боем. Российская армия начала маневры «Запад-2025» в Беларуси на фоне войны и вторжения российских дронов в Польшу". Новая газета Европа. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  24. ^ "Начинается цикл учений "Гром Перкунаса 2025": в них примут участие около 17 000 военнослужащих". Delfi RU (in Russian). Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  25. ^ "Poland and Lithuania to Hold Military Exercises in Response to Russian-Belarusian Zapad 2025 Drills". The Baltic Sentinel. May 28, 2025.
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