Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that 100,000 troops were taking part in the Zapad (West) 2025 joint military exercises with Belarus, during a surprise visit to the drills that have put NATO allies on high alert.
Dressed in military uniform, Putin observed the final phase of the drills and told reporters that, “Today we are conducting the final part of the Zapad 2025 strategic exercise. 100,000 servicemen are taking part.”
The figure far exceeds the 7,000 troops earlier cited by Minsk as participating on Belarusian territory, a stage of the exercises that was also attended by US military observers.
Russian state media, quoting the Kremlin, said that troops from India, Iran, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Congo, and Mali had joined the manoeuvres, broadening what had initially been billed as a purely Russian-Belarusian drill.
The expanded participation underscores Moscow’s efforts to showcase international military partnerships beyond its traditional allies, even as the war in Ukraine continues to strain relations with the West.
The drills are being held near NATO borders, prompting heightened security measures by member states. Poland last week reported the downing of Russian drones on its territory, an incident that led Warsaw to close its border with Belarus.
📹 Russia’s President Vladimir Putin addressed the representatives of foreign states invited to observe the #Zapad2025 exercise pic.twitter.com/85qpGJBus2
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) September 16, 2025
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that the Zapad exercise is designed to simulate the occupation of the Suwałki corridor, a narrow stretch of land linking Poland and Lithuania that is considered a potential flashpoint in the event of conflict. In response, Warsaw said it will deploy around 40,000 troops to the Belarusian frontier for the duration of the drills.
The Belarusian army confirmed that the exercises included nuclear weapons deployment planning, further alarming NATO states. Meanwhile, Russia said it had successfully test-fired its latest Zirkon supersonic cruise missile from a frigate in the Barents Sea on Sunday.
The scale of the Zapad 2025 manoeuvres, while significant, remains smaller than the 2021 edition, which involved around 200,000 troops and took place just months before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Putin emphasized that the purpose of the drills was to practice repelling potential aggression against the Union State, referring to the political and military alliance between Russia and Belarus.
