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Zapad 2025 - a Russian military exercise Sept 12 in BELARUS

Margery

When Stuff Gets Crazy LOOK UP! Maranatha!
Staff member
which borders Ukraine to the South, Poland, Lithuania and Latviaon it's west and Russia on it's east.

Belarus Belarus map here. Belarus

Russia’s Zapad-2025 — An Exercise in Hostility explains what is happening, why Poland is seeing an increase in drones, why Finland is prepared for war, why Macron made sure French hospitals are ready for war casualties.

Here are some quotes:

"The exercise is officially expected to involve around 13,000 troops, but analysts caution the real number is likely to be far higher. In Zapad 2021, Moscow claimed 12,800 servicemen participated on Belarusian territory. The total number of troops in the region was, in fact, around 200,000, according to Russian authorities.


Regardless of its size, Russia is once again turning its eyes toward its NATO neighbors. The deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council said in September that Finland was preparing for war, an accusation the Kremlin has previously made against the Baltic States, even as it rebuilds a significant military presence along NATO’s eastern flank.


This year’s drill raises three central questions: whether Russia is using Zapad to mask potential military preparations, what its military capacities are given the continuing war in Ukraine, and how it fits into the bigger geopolitical picture.
"

Down a little further this should provide perspective:

"“Zapad,” which translates as West, is a joint exercise testing the military readiness of Russia and Belarus, also known as the Union State. Just months after Zapad-2021, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine using forces that had remained in Belarus after the exercise ended. Landrum, therefore, stresses that this year’s exercise should be compared with the events leading up to that invasion."


Gary McKibben friend of Tom Hughes, and Pete Garcia - who is a pastor in Belfast Northern Ireland explains the Biblical context and importance of Zapad a few days ago. Rose @1LoverofGod reminded me to watch Gary (I'd seen it come up on my feed but hadn't watched it yet) and she was right.


No matter what comes out of this "exercise" this is just one more indicator that things are moving very rapidly.
 
which borders Ukraine to the South, Poland, Lithuania and Latviaon it's west and Russia on it's east.

Belarus Belarus map here. Belarus

Russia’s Zapad-2025 — An Exercise in Hostility explains what is happening, why Poland is seeing an increase in drones, why Finland is prepared for war, why Macron made sure French hospitals are ready for war casualties.

Here are some quotes:

"The exercise is officially expected to involve around 13,000 troops, but analysts caution the real number is likely to be far higher. In Zapad 2021, Moscow claimed 12,800 servicemen participated on Belarusian territory. The total number of troops in the region was, in fact, around 200,000, according to Russian authorities.


Regardless of its size, Russia is once again turning its eyes toward its NATO neighbors. The deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council said in September that Finland was preparing for war, an accusation the Kremlin has previously made against the Baltic States, even as it rebuilds a significant military presence along NATO’s eastern flank.


This year’s drill raises three central questions: whether Russia is using Zapad to mask potential military preparations, what its military capacities are given the continuing war in Ukraine, and how it fits into the bigger geopolitical picture.
"

Down a little further this should provide perspective:

"“Zapad,” which translates as West, is a joint exercise testing the military readiness of Russia and Belarus, also known as the Union State. Just months after Zapad-2021, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine using forces that had remained in Belarus after the exercise ended. Landrum, therefore, stresses that this year’s exercise should be compared with the events leading up to that invasion."


Gary McKibben friend of Tom Hughes, and Pete Garcia - who is a pastor in Belfast Northern Ireland explains the Biblical context and importance of Zapad a few days ago. Rose @1LoverofGod reminded me to watch Gary (I'd seen it come up on my feed but hadn't watched it yet) and she was right.


No matter what comes out of this "exercise" this is just one more indicator that things are moving very rapidly.

Poland Sends 40,000 Troops to Border as Russia Launches Major War Drills​


Poland is deploying approximately 40,000 soldiers along its borders with Belarus and Russia as regional tensions heighten in advance of large-scale Russian and Belarusian military drills scheduled to begin Friday.

The move follows a significant escalation on Wednesday, when Polish and Dutch military aircraft were mobilized to shoot down Russian drones that encroached on allied airspace.

According to officials, the upcoming Zapad 2025 exercises will involve tens of thousands of Russian and Belarusian troops, many operating alarmingly close to NATO’s eastern frontier. “Poland has been preparing for the Zapad 2025 maneuvers for many months,” Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk said in an interview with national media. He emphasized that Polish armed forces—alongside NATO allies—have already completed training exercises to ensure a swift and effective response if necessary. “Let’s remember that Zapad 2025 is an offensive exercise,” Tomczyk added.

Concerns have rippled through defense circles in Warsaw and among NATO partners that the drills could serve as cover for more aggressive moves against NATO or EU members. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski described Russia’s planned scenarios as “very aggressive,” recalling that similar exercises preceded Moscow’s invasions of both Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine.

In an additional effort to bolster national security, Poland has decided to temporarily close its border crossings with Belarus throughout the Zapad exercises and, following this week’s drone incident, announced that some closures will remain “until further notice.” The government continues to reinforce the so-called Suwałki Gap—a strategically critical corridor connecting Poland and Lithuania that separates Belarus from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The gap is widely viewed within NATO as particularly vulnerable to hostile incursions.

 
Concerns have rippled through defense circles in Warsaw and among NATO partners that the drills could serve as cover for more aggressive moves against NATO or EU members. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski described Russia’s planned scenarios as “very aggressive,” recalling that similar exercises preceded Moscow’s invasions of both Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine.
EXACTLY
 
Russia and Belarus on Friday launched a long-planned joint military exercise involving thousands of troops that has raised concern in the West.

The exercises, dubbed "Zapad 2025," or "West 2025," are held in Belarus and Russia and will last through Tuesday. They are intended to showcase close defense ties between Moscow and Minsk, as well as Russia's military might as it fights its 3½-year-old war in neighboring Ukraine.

The maneuvers follow Wednesday's incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace earlier this week that fueled longstanding fears that the hostilities in Ukraine could trigger a wider conflict. The Russian military said it wasn’t targeting Poland, and Belarus suggested drones veered off course, but European leaders described it as a deliberate provocation, forcing NATO allies to confront a potential threat in its airspace for the first time.

 
Zapad 2025 is winding down today.

2 surprise guests showed up.

1- got lots of news. Some representatives of the US military were invited to observe. As reported here by CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/15/europe/us-observes-russia-belarus-wargames-intl-latam

"A delegation of US military officers, as well as representatives of two other NATO members, Turkey and Hungary, observed the drills, joined by Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov."

"In another indication of developing ties between Minsk and Washington, Belarus released 52 political prisoners after senior Trump administration official John Coale met with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and delivered a letter and a gift of cufflinks featuring an image of the White House from Trump and first lady Melania Trump. In response to the prisoner release, a Trump administration official said the US would ease some sanctions on Belarus’ state-run airline, Belavia."


2- not much news covered this. India participated. This is like the sudden appearance of India's Modi at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization holding hands with Putin after Trump slapped 50% tariffs on Indian goods due to their ongoing use of Russian oil.

This signifies a tremendous shift in India's focus from the West to Russia and China. India was a founder of the BRICS along with Brazil Russia and China. Apart from membership in the BRICS, and the SCO, India has remained a western ally.

Reported in Times of India and another Indian news organization. Financial Times has it behind a firewall, and all the others have so many pop ups but here is a link to one that doesn't hide the story, or drive you nuts right away. India Joins Russia-Belarus ‘Zapad-2025’ Military Drills

The important thing is this statement within the article (I bolded it)

"The Indian Ministry of Defence confirmed that the troops will participate in joint tactical drills, battlefield coordination exercises, and skill development modules. New Delhi stated that the participation is aimed at “strengthening defense cooperation and mutual trust between India and Russia,” and does not signal alignment against any third country.

However, the move has sparked sharp reactions internationally, with Western media, including The Times, warning that India may have “crossed a red line” by joining exercises traditionally perceived as preparing for a potential NATO confrontation. Analysts note that the drills come at a sensitive moment, with tensions between Russia and NATO running high following recent drone incursions into Eastern Europe.
"


Regardless of India's participation, and Belarus's attempts at propaganda out of this, it seems that there is some diplomacy exerted to stop WW3 at least for now.

Next move is Putin's. Will he quit testing Poland's borders, along with Romania- and the 3 Baltics- Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia- all of whom report similar drone activity by Russia.

These are all NATO countries that border Russia and Belarus.

The only NATO country that borders Russia who hasn't seen a drone crash on it's territory is Finland. And Finland has proven itself against Russia time and time again after WW2 and during the Cold War. However they have closed their borders to Russia recently. (before the Poland drone issue)

If Putin backs down, great. If he doesn't Trump will have to figure out what to do next, before something else happens and Article 5 gets invoked.
 

Message to NATO: ISW explains why Putin wears military uniform at Zapad-2025 training​


Russian leader Vladimir Putin appeared in military uniform during the final stage of the Russia-Belarus military exercises Zapad-2025. This is likely a message to NATO countries, which the Kremlin has been regularly threatening in recent months, the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports.

On September 16, Putin personally visited the Zapad-2025 military exercise area in the Nizhniy Novgorod region at the Mulino Training Ground, where the final stage of the maneuvers took place. The Russian President wore a military uniform.

Analysts note that this is only the second time Putin has appeared in a military outfit at a public event since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

According to ISW, Putin’s appearance in military uniform on September 16 may be an attempt to “posture Russian-Belarusian military strength against the backdrop of recent Kremlin kinetic and rhetorical escalation against NATO states neighboring Russia.”

The report emphasizes that this is a message to Poland, Norway, the Baltic states, and Finland, which the Kremlin has been regularly threatening.

 

Message to NATO: ISW explains why Putin wears military uniform at Zapad-2025 training​


Russian leader Vladimir Putin appeared in military uniform during the final stage of the Russia-Belarus military exercises Zapad-2025. This is likely a message to NATO countries, which the Kremlin has been regularly threatening in recent months, the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports.

On September 16, Putin personally visited the Zapad-2025 military exercise area in the Nizhniy Novgorod region at the Mulino Training Ground, where the final stage of the maneuvers took place. The Russian President wore a military uniform.

Analysts note that this is only the second time Putin has appeared in a military outfit at a public event since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

According to ISW, Putin’s appearance in military uniform on September 16 may be an attempt to “posture Russian-Belarusian military strength against the backdrop of recent Kremlin kinetic and rhetorical escalation against NATO states neighboring Russia.”

The report emphasizes that this is a message to Poland, Norway, the Baltic states, and Finland, which the Kremlin has been regularly threatening.

There is a lot going on here, and signals like this are messaging aimed at the NATO countries on the Russian/Belarus border.
 
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