Up to 30,000 Russian and Belarusian troops to join Zapad-2025 military training - Lithuanian intel
Photo: Lithuanian intelligence estimated the number of participants in Zapad-2025 military training at 30 thousand soldiers (Getty Images)
The Head of the Second Department of Operational Services of Lithuania, Mindaugas Mažonas, reported that the joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises Zapad, scheduled for September 12–16, will involve up to 30,000 servicemen, Delfi informs.
However, only 8,000 troops will be deployed on Belarusian territory, of which just 2,000 are Russian soldiers.
“According to our intelligence, up to 30,000 Belarusian and Russian soldiers will take part in the exercises. In Belarus itself, there will be only 8,000, of which 2,000 are Russians,” Mažonas said on the program Week on the LRT channel.
The Lithuanian military emphasized that the likelihood of hybrid attacks against Lithuania during the exercises is minimal, though individual provocations cannot be ruled out. Possible airspace violations and a small risk of cyber incidents are expected.
“The probability that after the exercises Russia will try to disguise actions against another country in the region or involve Belarus in a large-scale invasion of Ukraine is indeed very low,” Mažonas added.
The Zapad exercises will include air defense drills, defensive combat scenario training, repelling intruders, and tactical aviation support.
Lithuanian Deputy Defense Minister Tomas Godliauskas previously noted that, according to Lithuanian intelligence, up to 30,000 servicemen will participate.
Zapad-2025 exercises
The joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises Zapad-2025 will take place from September 12 to 16, 2025. Officially, more than 13,000 troops are expected to participate in the maneuvers.
The Kremlin and Minsk assure that the exercises are purely defensive and pose no threat to other states.
At the same time, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi warned that the exercises could serve as cover for the covert formation of offensive troop groupings.
For more details on the potential threats to Ukraine from the Russian and Belarusian Zapad-2025 military exercises and the position of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, check out our news article on the topic.
