Now Reading: Russia and Belarus prepare for joint military maneuvers next month
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Russia and Belarus prepare for joint military maneuvers next month
In a context of growing tension in Eastern Europe, Russia and Belarus are preparing joint military maneuvers for next month, including exercises with nuclear weapons and Russian-made hypersonic missiles, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin announced. The maneuvers, dubbed "Zapad-2025," will take place Sept. 12-16 and will involve the Oreshnik intermediate-range missile, recently used by Russia in attacks against Ukraine.
Khrenin emphasized the importance of these exercises as a key component of the country's deterrence strategy. "It is an important element for our strategic deterrence; as the head of state demands, we must be ready for anything," the minister said in an interview with Belarusian state news agency Belta, quoted by Reuters. This announcement comes just two days before the planned meeting in Alaska between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, a meeting that promises to be decisive for future relations between the two countries.
The operational use of the Oreshnik missile was first reported on November 21, 2024, following an attack on a Ukrainian industrial complex in Dnipro. These maneuvers, which are usually held every two years, will also include the simulation of the use of nuclear weapons, although no specific details have been provided.
Ukrainian officials have previously expressed concern about such exercises, suggesting that they could serve as cover for Russian troop deployments. In this regard, the 2025 national threat assessment report published by the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense notes that while there are currently no Russian ground maneuver units in Belarus, Russia continues to use Belarusian airspace freely.
Last year, Putin and his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, signed a treaty providing security guarantees to Minsk, including the possible deployment of Russian nuclear weapons to repel any attack. This geopolitical context is amplified by the fact that Lithuania, which shares a 679-kilometer border with Belarus, is also conducting its military exercise, Arsus Vilkas 2025, which will continue until August 22. This exercise comes at a time when Russian military equipment has begun arriving in Belarus for the upcoming maneuver.
The use of Russian hypersonic missiles, capable of traveling at much higher speeds than conventional ballistic projectiles and thus more difficult to intercept, has raised additional regional security concerns. These developments underscore the growing complexity of the security fabric in Eastern Europe and the crucial role of military maneuvers in the defensive and offensive strategy of the nations involved.
