Exercise "West-2025": How NATO Is Preparing For A Potential Threat
- 9.09.2025, 14:11
The maneuvers will begin as early as September 12.
The Russian-Belarusian military exercises Zapad-2025 do not pose a threat to Ukraine, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Kirill Budanov, has said. Countries on NATO's eastern flank have expressed great concerns about the maneuvers. Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland have started retaliatory military exercises. What are feared in the North Atlantic Alliance - in material FREEDOM.
NATO believes that Russia may use the exercise "West-2025" to test the Alliance's response to military provocations, reports Politico, citing sources.
The joint maneuvers of Moscow and Minsk in western Belarus will be held from September 12 to 16. At them, the armed forces of both countries are practicing a scenario allegedly to repel an invasion from Poland and Lithuania. According to Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin, Moscow and Minsk will practice using the Oreshnik missile system. The North Atlantic Alliance said it would closely monitor the upcoming exercises.
- We must take exercises near NATO and EU borders seriously. Both border countries and NATO itself take them with the utmost seriousness...Lithuania and our allies are ready, united and will closely monitor developments, ready to react if necessary," said Lithuanian Deputy Defense Minister Tomas Godliauskas.
- Exercises in the "West" format are held by Moscow and Minsk about every four years. In late 2021, they were preparations for the Russian army's invasion of Ukraine.
In response to the Russian-Belarusian maneuvers, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland, in cooperation with the United States, began their own military exercises, Iron Fist, which will end on September 17.
"We will have about 40,000 troops in the region of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland. The Lithuanian part will number about 10 thousand, more allies about 6 thousand. Everywhere, not only on land, but also at sea and in the air. I believe that this number, which will be here in the region, is sufficient, even if there will be provocations, which are unlikely, but we must be vigilant," said the commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Raimundas Vaikschnoras.
In addition, Latvia is holding a national exercise Namejs 2025, where 12 thousand military personnel are involved. Lithuania has also started its own maneuvers "Thunderstrike", where 17 thousand military personnel are taking part.
Also large exercises "Iron Defender" are taking place in Poland. As part of the exercise, the country has involved 30,000 military personnel and 600 units of combat equipment.
"Everything indicates that the exercise "West 2025" will not lead to escalation, but I must say one thing: we experience deep distrust in the conduct of such exercises on the part of the Russian Federation, Belarus and their partners. Therefore, we will keep our forces in such readiness to be able to react if these exercises turn out to be hostile to Poland," said Chief of General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces Wieslaw Kukula.
In preparation for the Quadriga military exercises, Germany has begun to transfer a military contingent to Lithuania. More than 8,000 soldiers, 40 ships and 30 helicopters will take part in the maneuvers.
"I would like to emphasize that we want to contain, we don't want escalation, we are engaged exclusively in defense. And I want to point out that Moscow is also using the West to sow uncertainty and of course to talk about escalation in response. So far, we have no indication that Zapad 2025 includes preparations for an attack under the guise of an exercise. But we are on alert. And by "alert" I don't just mean the Bundeswehr, but NATO as well. And we in the Bundeswehr are preparing for an emergency. This is our job, this is what we have sworn to do," said Bundeswehr Inspector General Karsten Breuer.
The cooperation of the regimes in Russia and Belarus poses a threat to the whole of Europe and hinders the peace efforts of US President Donald Trump, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry urged to be on guard regarding the West-2025 military exercises and not to trust statements by Minsk and Moscow.