BORISOVSKY TRAINING GROUND /Belarus/. September 15. /TASS/. Up to 7,000 servicemen are involved in the Zapad 2025 drills in Belarus, a senior defense official said.
"In order to reduce tensions, it is crucial to explain to the entire international community the peaceful nature and defensive orientation of Belarus’ approach. In April 2025, the Zapad 2025 drill concept was revised. The number of participants, weapons, and military equipment was reduced by nearly half," Belarusian Defense Ministry’s International Military Cooperation Department head Valery Revenko said. According to him, all activities were moved further into Belarusian territory.
"After that, in our view, it was counterproductive and illogical for Poland to announce that it would conduct the Iron Defender 2025 drill with up to 30,000 servicemen on its territory, exceeding the number of Russian and Belarusian units declared to be participating in the exercises in Belarus. Subsequently, to reduce tensions, we made efforts to inform the Western public and the leadership of neighboring states of the need for dialogue and for us to accept all observers on our territory. In connection with this event, 42 days before the start of the drills, information about the exercises’ format and parameters, involving approximately 6,850 people, was sent via the OSCE communications network. An invitation to observe the event was sent to all 56 [OSCE] states," the defense official stressed.
According to Revenko, the Polish leadership, among others, has unfortunately declared the Zapad 2025 drills to be aggressive. "Everything about their size, number, non-aggressive nature towards Western states, and defensive component was obvious," he pointed out. Moreover, Poland announced the movement of troops and military units to the Belarusian border, prompting concern in Minsk.
"On September 8, 2025, we sent a request to clarify this military activity in a neighboring country. To their credit, Poland’s military and political leadership responded within the specified time frame, providing details about the parameters of the exercise and answering all of our questions. What does this show? It shows that we are on the path to constructive dialogue," the defense official remarked.
He added that Belarus had previously assisted Poland’s air defense to identify drones. "I can say that we are moving in the right direction in building a professional dialogue," Revenko concluded.