Belarus Alters Military Drill Plans with Russia to Emphasize Peaceful Intentions

Belarus will reduce the scale of joint military exercises with Russia that were set for September, decreasing the number of troops involved and relocating the drills from its western border, the Belarusian Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday.

Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin stated via the ministry’s Telegram channel, “We have made the decision to decrease the scope of the ‘Zapad-2025’ exercise and to shift its primary operations further into the territory of the Republic of Belarus, away from the western frontiers.”

General Valery Revenko, who leads the international cooperation department at the defense ministry, noted at a security forum in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, that troop participation would be reduced by nearly 50%.

Belarus, a staunch ally of Russia, permitted its land to be utilized as a base for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Alongside Poland and the Baltic nations, Ukraine has consistently raised alarms about potential military escalations in Belarus.

Previous reports by Russian state media indicated that roughly 13,000 troops were expected to take part in the “Zapad-2025” exercises in September.

Khrenin emphasized that the troop reduction aims “to showcase to our global allies and partners the genuinely peace-oriented stance of the Republic of Belarus.”

Typically, the Zapad drills feature tens of thousands of soldiers as a demonstration of force near Belarus’ borders with NATO and EU member states. Approximately 200,000 troops were involved in the 2021 exercises, which occurred a few months prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned last month that Russia was “preparing something” in Belarus under the pretense of military exercises. “That’s generally how they initiate a new offensive,” he remarked.