Russia increases the tension even more after the drones in Poland: It has launched a joint exercise with Belarus on the NATO border

Russia and Belarus launched a associated subject workout connected the NATO borderline connected Friday, ratcheting up tensions with the West 2 days aft Poland changeable down Russian drones successful a determination seen arsenic a provocation and trial of NATO’s response.

The Zapad 2025 associated subject workout betwixt Belarus and Russia has officially commenced, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. pic.twitter.com/Eaoh2Mi0K2

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) September 12, 2025

The associated subject workout Zapad-2025, which is being carried retired connected subject fields successful some countries, includes areas adjacent the borderline with Poland, an country wherever tensions with the West are high. The workout was planned earlier the drone incident, which is the archetypal known lawsuit successful which a NATO subordinate was forced to “strike” Russian targets during the warfare successful the past 3.5 years.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that successful the archetypal signifier of the exercise, troops volition simulate repelling an onslaught connected Russia and Belarus. In the 2nd phase, the workout volition absorption connected restoring the territorial integrity of the “Union State,” which the 2 countries marque up, and eliminating the enemy, with the information of conjugation forces from affable countries, the Defense Ministry said.

Belarus shares borders with 3 NATO members, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia, and besides borders Ukraine.

🇷🇺🇧🇾 Se inicia o exercício militar conjunto Zapad 2025!

O objetivo bash exercício estratégico é o treinamento conjunto das forças armadas da Rússia e Belarus, simulando a defesa dos seus territórios contra uma agressão da OTAN aos dois estados.pic.twitter.com/dXitzD5hnC

— Análise Geopolítica (@AnaliseGeopol) September 12, 2025

The Kremlin, done Dmitry Peskov, described Europe’s concerns astir the exercises arsenic an affectional absorption and said it would not remark connected the drone incident, which the West saw arsenic a provocation and a trial of NATO’s reactions.

The US authorities acknowledged the Russian provocation, with Donald Trump saying the Russian drone incursion could person been a mistake. “I’m not satisfied with thing to bash with this situation, but I anticipation it volition extremity soon,” helium said Thursday.

Warsaw is connected precocious alert

Even earlier Tuesday’s incident, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk had called the upcoming exercises “very aggressive” and announced that Poland would adjacent its borderline with Belarus astatine midnight Thursday. Poland’s lawman defence minister, Cesari Tomczyk, said Poland has been preparing for months and conducting its ain exercises, codenamed “Iron Defender,” with 30,000 troops participating successful the drills and astir 5,000 connected the borderline with Belarus.

Lithuania has besides said it is protecting its borders due to the fact that of the subject exercise. General Pavel Muraveiko, caput of the Belarusian General Staff, said the exercises volition beryllium held astatine a “significant distance” from the borders with NATO states and Ukraine, adding that the drills volition see drones, physics warfare, and the usage of artificial quality to enactment decision-making.

Peskov connected the "emotional overreaction" astir the Zapad-2025 (West-2025) subject exercises:

"I would similar to callback the words of our president: Russia has ne'er threatened anyone, nor does it endanger the countries of Europe.

It was not Russia that moved its military… https://t.co/5Muji4EC20 pic.twitter.com/CJWkhjJkeh

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) September 12, 2025

The latest “Zapad”

The past associated “Zapad” workout took spot successful September 2021, 5 months earlier the afloat Russian penetration of Ukraine, which was launched partially from Belarusian territory. Belarusian person Alexander Lukashenko, a adjacent state of the Russian president, has backed Putin passim the war, but has not sent troops of his own. Since the opening of the conflict, Belarus has allowed Russia to regularly presumption atomic missiles connected its territory and is preparing to big Moscow’s caller Oreshnik supersonic missile.

Lukashenko, however, is trying to reconstruct relations with the US aft years of sanctions. On Thursday, helium released 52 prisoners astatine the petition of U.S. President Donald Trump and said helium stands by him successful his efforts to resoluteness a bid of planetary conflicts.