Russia, Belarus to hold joint military drill next month DEFENSE NEWS TODAY

Joint Exercise Implies Increased Military Stance

Russia and Belarus will hold a joint military exercise next month to strengthen their growing defence partnership. The exercise, called Zapad-2025, will run from 12 to 16 September and focus on nuclear readiness and hypersonic weapons.

Belarusian Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin announced the plan in Minsk, stressing the drill’s importance for both nations’ strategic deterrence. He confirmed that the exercise will test the Oreshnik intermediate-range missile, first used in a Russian strike on Ukraine in 2024. Khrenin said the exercise is vital for building strong deterrence, adding that both countries must prepare for any possible threat.

Russia, Belarus to hold joint military drill next month

Nuclear Element Increases Regional Tensions

The most alarming feature of Zapad-2025 is its simulated confrontation with nuclear weapons. Although some technical information remains undisclosed, Western experts warn that the exercises may be concealing Russian troop deployments in Belarus. Ukrainian officials also raised similar concerns, noting that the Moscow exercises tend to blur strategic deception with deterrence signaling.

The nuclear component is also covered by terms in a 2024 security agreement between Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko permitting Russian nuclear forces to be based in Belarus. The agreement gave Minsk some security assurances, but it also increased its dependence on Moscow and heightened tensions among NATO allies along the alliance’s eastern border.

Hypersonic Missiles Trigger Strategic Alert

The presence of Russian hypersonic missiles in the exercise has come under close observation. They can travel at extremely high speeds and make unpredictable manoeuvres, meaning that they are significantly harder to intercept than conventional ballistic systems.

For NATO nations bordering Belarus, like Lithuania, their presence represents an immediate security threat. The Lithuanian 2025 threat assessment has noted that, without Russian manoeuvre brigades stationed in Belarus, Moscow is still using Belarusian airspace at will. In addition, the forward deployment of additional Russian military equipment prior to the exercise has raised further concerns.

Parallel NATO Reactions

While Russia and Belarus gear up for Zapad-2025, NATO member states are also ramping up activity. Lithuania is presently exercising Arsus Vilkas 2025, which will continue until 22 August. The exercise scenario is reflective of possible high-intensity conflict along its 679-kilometre border with Belarus and is meant to emphasize concerns that Moscow will use exercises as a pretext for the amassing of troops.

The proposed Trump–Putin summit in Alaska, particularly the timing so close to Zapad-2025 commencement, introduces one more level of geopolitical stress. Western experts perceive this as the ultimate test of Washington’s resolve to counteract Moscow’s militaristic posturing, particularly at a time when Ukraine remains under the pressure of Russian shelling.

Strategic Perspective

For defence experts, the drill highlights deepening ties between Russian and Belarusian military cooperation. By combining nuclear simulations with hypersonic missile training, Zapad-2025 signals clear intent from Moscow and Minsk.

They are preparing for scenarios that go well beyond standard deterrence measures. The balance of power in the region is shifting rapidly, forcing NATO’s eastern members to adjust their strategies.

This joint exercise shows how Russia continues to use Belarus as a forward platform for military projection. It also underlines Moscow’s intent to apply sustained pressure on Ukraine and the wider NATO alliance.