Belarus threatens to shift Zapad-2025 military drills closer to NATO border
Belarus signaled on July 23 that it could reverse its earlier decision to move the Zapad-2025 military drills inland, citing what it called escalating military activity by Poland and Lithuania near its borders.
Belarusian Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Muraveika said Minsk originally chose to move the joint Russian-Belarusian drills away from the western frontier to ease tensions, but that decision may now be reconsidered.
"Given the difficult military and political situation and the fact that Belarus is constantly accused of aggressive intentions, we have made a decision and moved the areas of the event away from the borders," Muraveika said. "But our Western colleagues began to speculate on this process."
The Zapad-2025 drills, expected to take place in mid-September, will involve around 13,000 troops and are among the largest joint exercises held by Russia and Belarus.
Kyiv and NATO officials have voiced concern over the drills, which are set to occur amid Russia's ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Muraveika specifically cited recent NATO movements as justification for a possible venue revision.
"Poland has announced that it is ready to conduct divisional-scale exercises near our borders near Grodno, the Bialowieza Forest. Lithuania is transferring the Iron Wolf brigade to the Pabrade training ground," he said.
"Under these conditions, we reserve the right to make a decision and move our individual units during the exercises to work out episodes of an exclusively defensive nature."
In February, President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia planned to deploy up to 150,000 troops, or 15 divisions, to Belarus in preparation for a potential military escalation.
While Minsk has not deployed its own troops in combat during Russia's war in Ukraine, it has provided critical support, including launching areas for Russian missile strikes and ground operations in the early phase of the invasion.
