Kyiv: Russian troops withdraw from Belarus after Zapad-2025 drills
Russia has withdrawn all of its forces from Belarus following the Zapad-2025 joint military exercises, Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service confirmed on Sept. 22.
The large-scale drills, which ran from Sept. 12–16 across 41 training grounds in Belarus and western Russia, involved around 100,000 personnel, according to the Kremlin. Despite NATO concerns, Ukrainian officials reported no provocations or hostile activity near the border, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Border groups and intelligence units closely monitored the exercises to track any potential threats, said agency spokesperson Andrii Demchenko. He noted that all maneuvers were conducted deep inside Belarusian territory.
The Zapad drills, staged every four years, officially focus on defensive operations but are widely viewed in Europe as a show of force. Poland closed all border crossings with Belarus at the start of the exercises.
Russian President Vladimir Putin personally inspected the drills at a training ground in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast on Sept. 16, reviewing more than 400 pieces of military equipment.
The last Zapad exercise in 2021 was followed by Union Resolve-2022, which set the stage for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched from Belarusian territory.
This year, observers from NATO members the U.S., Türkiye, and Hungary were allowed to attend parts of the drills, Belarus’s Defense Ministry said.
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