Russia-Belarus Zapad-2025 drills: Ukraine issues warning to Lukashenko’s troops
In a statement published by Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, officials reminded that Alexander Lukashenko’s regime is complicit in Russia’s crimes in Ukraine: at the start of the full-scale war, it allowed Russian forces to use Belarusian territory to invade Ukraine.
The ministry also recalled how in 2021–2022, under the guise of joint drills, Russian forces massed near Ukraine’s border before invading.
In that context, the MFA warned Minsk against provocations. Belarusian troops were urged to act with prudence, avoid approaching Ukraine’s borders and not provoke the Ukrainian army.
The foreign ministry also called on Ukraine’s international partners to remain vigilant and increase sanctions pressure on Moscow and Minsk.
In September, Belarus is set to host large-scale “Zapad-2025” exercises—akin to the “Zapad-2021” maneuvers that preceded Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As early as August, the first echelons carrying Russian troops began arriving at Belarusian training grounds.
These maneuvers appear to pose another potential threat to Ukraine from the aggressor state. Kyiv has repeatedly stressed that the Kremlin is preparing new offensives, despite the recent Putin-Trump meeting in Alaska.
The drills by the armies of the two regimes are scheduled for September 12–16. They will be conducted under a stated scenario of “readiness to repel possible aggression,” with plans to practice defensive operations, countering airstrikes and dealing with saboteurs. What stands out, however, is an apparent intent to rehearse the use of nuclear weapons and medium-range missiles—well beyond standard defensive maneuvers.