Poland kicks off massive Iron Gates exercises close to Belarus border
Photo: Large-scale exercises started in Poland (Getty Images)
On Wednesday, 17 September, at a military training ground in Poland, large-scale exercises named Iron Gates start. The maneuvers will take place at the training ground in Orzysz, which is located approximately 100 kilometers from the strategic Suwałki Corridor, according to TVP Info.
Details of the exercises
The events will be observed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Poland, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, as well as the Chief of the General Staff, Wiesław Kukula.
The maneuvers involve the joint work of armored, mechanized, artillery, and air units.
For the demonstration, Abrams tanks, K9 howitzers, WR-40 Langusta launchers, Rak mortars, Rosomak combat vehicles with ZSSW-30 turret, as well as Piorun and Spike air defense systems will be involved.
Air cover will be provided by F-35 and F-16 fighters and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters.
A NATO battalion battle group is already deployed in the region, which includes military personnel from the United States, the United Kingdom, Romania, and Croatia.
What is known about the exercises
The Iron Gates exercises are part of the large-scale maneuvers Iron Defender – the largest in Poland in 2025.
They cover operations on land, sea, and in the air with the participation of the army, air force, navy, special units, and territorial defense.
In total, about 30,000 soldiers and 600 units of equipment from Poland and NATO countries are involved.
Simultaneously, the Polish military is participating in exercises in Lithuania, Latvia, and on the Swedish island of Gotland.
The day before, a similar demonstration took place in Ustka, where the Patriot system was presented in Poland for the first time. On Thursday, large-scale exercises will continue at the Nova Demba training ground.
Suwałki corridor
This is a narrow stretch of territory in northeastern Poland that runs along the Polish-Lithuanian border. It is through this corridor that Poland directly borders Belarus: to the east, this section is limited by the Belarusian region, and to the west, it adjoins Poland.
In fact, it is a 65-kilometer strip between Belarus and Russian Kaliningrad. Therefore, it has strategic significance for NATO, as it is the only land route connecting the Baltic countries with the rest of the Alliance.
Russian-Belarusian exercises Zapad-2025
Recall, yesterday, the active phase of the Zapad-2025 exercises, which attracted significant attention from the international community, ended.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin personally arrived at the final stage of the Russian-Belarusian exercises. For this, he appeared in military uniform for the first time in a long time.
As the spokesman of the State Border Guard Service, Andriy Demchenko, told RBC-Ukraine, the Russian military has begun leaving the training grounds in Belarus, where the active phase of the exercises took place.
