Ukraine warns of possible Russian provocations during Zapad-2025 military exercises
Illustrative photo: Russian military exercises (Getty Images)
The Russian military exercises Zapad-2025, which are planned with the participation of Belarus, may be accompanied by provocations, according to the State Border Service of Ukraine spokesperson, Andrii Demchenko.
"As of now, if we talk about what we are observing near our border, there is no build-up of forces on the territory of Belarus in the direction of our border. And the situation directly along the border, fortunately, has not changed," Demchenko said.
He stressed that the presence of Russian troops in Belarus poses a threat, and Ukraine cannot afford to relax.
"Belarus continues to support Russia, and, in fact, when it comes to the actions of a terrorist country, provocations cannot be ruled out, and it must be understood that information influence during these exercises will be present to escalate the situation," the spokesperson stressed.
He added that one of the goals of such actions could be an attempt to force Ukraine to shift its forces to the north, weakening other sections of the front.
Russian-Belarusian exercises Zapad-2025
The Russian-Belarusian exercises Zapad-2025 will take place in September. The active phase of the maneuvers is scheduled for September 12-16, involving more than 13,000 military personnel.
According to the official version of Moscow and Minsk, the exercises are intended to test readiness to ensure security and repulse possible aggression.
The German General Staff has already responded, emphasizing that it sees no signs of preparations for an attack under the guise of exercises, but at the same time assured: "We will be on our guard, not just the German forces, but NATO."
At the same time, Ukraine warns of other risks. The head of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, said that from the first days, Zapad-2025 will be accompanied by a large-scale information campaign, with most of the disinformation coming from Russia.
In turn, Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, stressed that the Russians will actively pump up the topic of the exercises in the information space.
