Western observers will use the "Zapad-2025" exercises to assess the readiness of the Russian armed forces three years after the open invasion of Ukraine. This was reported by UNN with reference to Politico.
Details
The coming days will be tense for Russia's neighboring countries, as the joint Russian-Belarusian exercises "Zapad-2025" will take place from September 12 to 16 – they will be the first since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Some maneuvers will take place near Poland and Lithuania, as the Kremlin prepares for a possible confrontation with NATO forces, the publication says.
In response, NATO countries bordering Russia and Belarus are conducting their own military exercises. For example, 10 Northern European NATO countries are participating in the "Tarasis 25" exercises, and Lithuania will conduct its own national defense exercises "Thunder Strike."
In addition, Poland is conducting the "Iron Defender-25" exercises this week, involving 30,000 troops.
NATO, Russian, and Belarusian troops will also be deployed on both sides of the 70-kilometer Suwalki Corridor between Belarus and Kaliningrad, which is widely considered one of Europe's most vulnerable defensive bottlenecks. This corridor is also located between Poland and Lithuania: in the event of an offensive by Russian and Belarusian troops, NATO units in this region could be at risk of encirclement.
Recall
The Bundeswehr sent over a thousand units of equipment to the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda to participate in the large-scale Quadriga 2025 exercises.