Zapad 2025

Zapad 2025 (Russian: Запад-2025, Belarusian: Захад-2025, romanized: Zakhad-2025, lit. 'West 2025') was a Russian-Belarusian joint strategic military exercise, that took place in Belarus on 12–16 September 2025. Belarus has said the drills will test the Union State's defensive readiness, with main activities staged at central training areas near Barysaw and a reciprocal movement of units between the two states. It was the first Zapad exercise since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022; authorities described a scaled-down format and locations deeper inside Belarus.

Belarus has indicated an official participation figure of roughly 13,000 personnel, substantially fewer than the ~200,000 claimed for Zapad 2021. Analysts noted that headline figures in past iterations sometimes understate the true scale and dispersal of activity; some commentaries anticipated higher effective numbers across parallel events.

The exercises are conducted on multiple bases in Belarus and Russia, including the Kaliningrad oblast enclave.

Belarusian officials said the exercise would include training related to nuclear weapons employment and practice involving Russia's Oreshnik missile system, described as nuclear-capable and slated for delivery to Belarus by late 2025.

Minsk stated that it had invited all 56 states under the OSCE Vienna Document to observe, plus additional partners, including NATO countries and accredited military attachés, with responses requested by 20 August 2025. Military observers from three NATO member states participated in the exercises. The United States were represented by two military observers, while Turkey and Hungary, also NATO members, each sent their respective representatives.