Russia’s Zapad-2025 drills: German generals assess NATO attack risks
Illustrative photo: Russian military exercises (Getty Images)
German armed forces chief Carsten Breuer stated that there are no signs that Russia’s Zapad-2025 military exercises could serve as a pretext for an attack on NATO countries, The Guardian reports.
"We don’t have any indication that preparations for an attack are taken under the cover of the exercise. But we will be on our guard, not just the German forces, but NATO," Breuer said.
Russia-Belarus Zapad-2025 drills
The joint military exercises of Russia and Belarus Zapad-2025 will be held from September 12 to 16, 2025, involving more than 13,000 troops.
Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov warned that intense information pressure would accompany the drills from the very first day, with most disinformation expected to come from Russia.
Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, also emphasized that Russia will actively fuel narratives about the exercises.
Officially, the stated goal of the drills is to test the ability of both countries to "guarantee security" and "repel possible aggression."
Meanwhile, Belarus announced that the exercises will also include practicing nuclear weapons planning and the use of the Oreshnik system.
