MOSCOW
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday personally supervised the joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises Zapad-2025, the Kremlin said.
Putin arrived at the Mulino training ground in the Nizhny Novgorod region wearing a military uniform as he is also commander-in-chief of the Russian army.
Addressing the participants, the president said the goal of the exercises is to practice defending the Union State – a name for the alliance between Russia and Belarus – from any aggression.
“The purpose of this exercise is to train all necessary elements for unconditional protection of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and defense against any aggression towards the Union State,” he said.
Putin said the exercises are taking place at 41 training grounds, involving 100,000 servicemen and about 10,000 units of weapons and equipment.
“Moreover, it’s all modern technology used in practical combat operations, and the plans for these exercises are based on experience gained during special military operations. There are around 10,000 models of different types of equipment, including 333 aircraft – tactical, strategic, and military transport aviation,” he said.
Additionally, he said, more than 247 ships, including surface vessels, submarines, and support vessels, are engaged in the drill.
Cooperation among nations
According to the Russian leader, 25 foreign delegations participated in the exercises, with 16 sending representatives to observe and six sending military contingents to participate in the drill.
During his visit to the training ground, Putin first inspected an exhibition of weaponry and specialized military equipment and then observed the main phase of the exercises.
At the end of the exercises, Putin appeared before representatives of the military-diplomatic corps dressed in camouflage attire, accompanied by Defense Minister Andrey Belousov.
“I want to thank you all for your participation. I hope it will be useful to you professionally. As far as establishing high levels of trust between our countries goes, it’s definitely beneficial,” Putin told the audience.
He also expressed hope that the event would strengthen cooperation among nations.
“You saw how the Russian army works based on the experience of using its armed forces in contemporary armed conflicts,” he said. “And please convey my best wishes to your military and political leadership.”
For his part, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov reported to Putin that the drill’s tasks are being solved by Russian-Belarusian contingents, as well as by coalition troops of foreign states.
Some Western countries have been rattled by the exercises, with the Finnish Defense Forces commander comparing it to drills done in the months before the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022.
