Russia-Belarus Joint Zapad 2025 Military Exercises Involving Iskander Missile Systems

Polish armed forces deployed fighter jets and helicopters in response to potential airspace violations, with allied aircraft assisting in monitoring efforts.

EUROPE — Russian and Belarusian forces initiated the Zapad 2025 joint strategic military exercise on September 12, encompassing operations across Belarus and parts of Russia.

Russian Iskander missile system. Credit: Vitaly V. Kuzmin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia.

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The drills focus on defensive readiness for the Union State (a supranational union consisting of Belarus and Russia), incorporating air and ground defense scenarios followed by territory clearance and counteroffensive maneuvers.

Lithuanian intelligence estimates over 30,000 troops in total, with approximately 8,000 stationed in Belarus, comprising 2,000 Russian and 6,000 Belarusian personnel, while Belarusian officials specify roughly 13,000 overall.

Elements from Russia's 4th Tank Division, 2nd Guards Motorized Rifle Division, and 71st Motorized Rifle Division arrived in Belarus in May and August to support the exercise. The maneuvers occur at sites such as the 227th Combined Arms Training Ground in Barysaw, Minsk Oblast, and extend to the Baltic and Barents seas.

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