Russia and Belarus launched large-scale joint military exercises on Friday, showcasing the depth of their defense coordination as tensions rise in Eastern Europe. The drills, named Zapad-2025, come just days after Russian drones reportedly crossed into Eastern European airspace, prompting alarm in Warsaw and other NATO capitals.
According to Russian state media, the exercises involve approximately 13,000 troops, combining ground, air, naval, and missile forces. Key weapons systems on display include Russia’s Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile system and Iskander short-range missile systems, which were filmed deployed near the Polish border over the weekend. Online footage also showed newly introduced Russian armored vehicles maneuvering in the Kaliningrad region.
While the core of the exercise is centered in Belarus, operations extend across multiple regions, including the Baltic Sea, the Barents Sea, and Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region. Analysts say this wide dispersal underscores Moscow’s intent to signal readiness across multiple strategic theaters.
On Friday, Poland announced the closure of its border with Belarus, citing security risks posed by the drills. NATO simultaneously launched Operation Eastern Sentry, described as a precautionary measure in response to the earlier drone incursions. Though limited in scale compared to Zapad-2025, NATO’s exercise is seen as a reassurance move to bolster alliance unity along the eastern flank.
The drills are scheduled to run until September 16 and mark the first major Russian-Belarusian joint exercise since the outbreak of Russia’s war in Ukraine over three and a half years ago. The memory of February 2022 looms large, when Moscow used the pretext of exercises in Belarus to stage troops along the Ukrainian border, later launching its offensive toward Kiev.
The United States has so far issued no formal statement regarding the drills. President Donald Trump, who has downplayed the recent drone incidents as possibly a “mistake,” said on Saturday that Washington would consider sanctions against Russia and its trading partners. However, Trump linked this to Europe halting purchases of Russian-refined oil from India and Russian liquified natural gas (LNG)—a move European officials have reportedly told Washington they are unwilling to take.