Poland launches largest military drills as Russia, Belarus prepare exercises
Poland launched its largest military exercise of the year, Iron Defender-25, on September 1, involving about 30,000 Polish and allied troops and 600 pieces of equipment, the country’s Armed Forces General Command reported.
Spanning land, air, sea, and cyberspace, the drills come amid heightened security concerns, with Poland sharing a 418-kilometer (260-mile) border with Belarus, where Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization drills began on August 31, and with Russia’s heavily militarized Kaliningrad exclave. Large-scale Russian-Belarusian Zapad-2025 exercises are also scheduled for September, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
“The main goal of the exercise is to verify the interoperability of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland in a multi-domain environment,” the Polish military said. “Lessons learned from the ongoing war in Ukraine will also be incorporated into the training.”
The drills aim to assess the full spectrum of modern warfare, from ground combat to cyber operations. Poland’s Defense Ministry emphasized the integration of land, air, naval, and cyber operations, noting that it “directly contributes to strengthening NATO's deterrence posture and operational capabilities.”
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland has been one of Kyiv’s staunchest allies, providing tanks, heavy weapons, and ammunition. Its strategic location places it on the front line of any potential NATO-Russia confrontation, with Western leaders warning of a possible broader war in Europe within the next five years.
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