Putin names purpose of Russia-Belarus drills
The Zapad 2025 military exercises between Russia and Belarus were designed to repel attacks using lessons from the Ukraine conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. The drills concluded on Tuesday, amid tensions between Russia and NATO.
Putin visited a command post in Mulino, northwestern Russia, where he met with Defense Minister Andrey Belousov.
“The purpose of the exercise is to rehearse all elements necessary to fully protect sovereignty, territorial integrity, and defend against any aggression,” Putin said.
He added that the planners of the drills “incorporated lessons learned from the special military operation” in Ukraine.
The drills involved 100,000 troops, 10,000 pieces of military hardware, including 333 aircraft, and around 250 naval vessels, the president said.
Last week, Poland closed its border with Belarus, calling the exercises “very aggressive.”
Earlier in September, Warsaw launched the Iron Defender-25 drills, involving 30,000 troops. Lithuania, another neighbor of Belarus, began the Thunder Strike national defense exercises last week.
Moscow has said it would not attack a NATO country unless it is attacked first.
Earlier this month, Poland accused Russia of violating its airspace with at least 19 drones, which Moscow has denied. NATO responded by deploying additional warplanes to patrol Polish skies.
