MINSK, October 23. /TASS/. The General Staffs of the Armed Forces of Belarus and Russia have launched preparations for the Zapad 2025 military drills, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said at a joint board meeting of the Defense Ministries of both countries on Wednesday.

"This exercise will be the main event of the joint training of military command centers and troops in 2025 and will create conditions for further improving the existing system of ensuring military security of the [Russia-Belarus] Union State," the Belarusian Defense Ministry quoted Khrenin as saying.

Drills of this scope help "inspect the combat readiness level of the regional combat group in practice and the ability of troops to jointly accomplish assigned objectives," he added.