Planned military exercises in Belarus pose potential threat to Ukraine – SBGS
Military exercises announced by Belarus and Russia, which may involve units of the Russian army, pose a risk to Ukraine, and the level of threat is expected to increase during this period.
According to Censor.NET, citing Ukrinform, this was reported by the spokesman for the State Border Guard Service, Andrii Demchenko, on television.
"Although this direction remains a threat for us, there is currently no observed formation or presence of a military group on Belarusian territory heading toward our border. At the same time, the exercises announced by Belarus and Russia — to be held, in particular, on Belarusian territory and potentially involving Russian army units — do present a risk to Ukraine, and the threat will increase during this period," Demchenko said
According to Demchenko, the Defense Forces are closely monitoring the situation in Belarus and any potential movements of Russian units.
"Our task is to strengthen our defense capabilities and monitor the situation directly along the border with Belarus and deeper into its territory — especially if Russian troops are deployed there," the spokesperson added.
To recap, during the Three Seas Summit, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi stated that this summer, Russia is "preparing something" in Belarus and plans to use military exercises as cover.
What is known about the Zapad exercises ('Exercise West')?
The Zapad military exercises are scheduled for September 2025. According to official statements, the exercises aim to practice joint defensive and offensive operations, improve coordination between the armed forces, and test troops’ readiness for various security scenarios.
The previous Zapad-2021 exercises, which involved over 200,000 personnel, were the largest military maneuvers on the western axis since the collapse of the Soviet Union and turned out to be part of the preparation for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Zapad exercises have been held every two years since 2009.
