Tens of thousands of troops and nuclear weapons simulation: Russia's latest show of force

BarcelonaAt an exceptional moment you have on the eastern border of Europe, after the Russian drone raid over Poland on Wednesday, This Friday, tens of thousands of Russian and Belarusian soldiers will carry out joint military exercises in a new show of force by Russia and its ally. This exercise, titled Zapad-2025, includes military exercises in both Russia and Belarus, a country bordering Ukraine and Poland, and also in the Baltic and Barents Seas, according to sources from the Russian Defense Ministry who spoke to Reuters.

The exercise was planned well before the incident involving the Russian drone that Poland shot down two days ago. The maneuvers are scheduled between this Friday, September 12, and Tuesday, September 16, and are the first Zapad maneuvers to be carried out. since 2021, that is, since before the start of the war in Ukraine. The last time these exercises were held, they were chaired by Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

The exercises, which will be carried out mainly at military ranges in Barissau, near the Belarusian capital and about 450 kilometers from the Polish border, are officially aimed at strengthening the military security of the Russia-Belarus State Union in the face of the NATO threat. In principle, far fewer soldiers will participate than in 2021, when 200,000 participants were reported, although there will be not only Russian and Belarusian soldiers, but also from countries such as India and Iran, according to Efe. The maneuvers will include the simulation of the launch of nuclear weapons and Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missiles, according to the Belarusian general staff.

"They are not against any country," says the Kremlin

"The aim of the exercises is to improve the skills of commanders and staffs, the level of cooperation, and the field training of regional and coalition troops," the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov assured on Thursday that the exercises, including those taking place near the Polish border, are not directed against any other country.

Peskov stressed that the maneuvers were already planned. "We will follow our line, which is by no means a secret to anyone," he said. However, they come just two days after Russian drones violated Polish airspace, which called the incursion an "act of aggression." Asked about this, Peskov added: "There is nothing new. This rhetoric has been characteristic of all European capitals lately." This Friday, the same day the Russian and Belarusian maneuvers begin, the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting, at Poland's request, over the drone incident. This incursion has sparked several international reactions, including new sanctions against Russia by Japan, announced this Friday.

Belarus, Russia's main ally in the war in Ukraine, signed a security agreement with Moscow at the end of 2024, after which Russian leader Vladimir Putin brought forward the possibility of deploying Oreshnik missiles in the neighboring country's territory to the latter. Oreshnik, which is medium-range and can carry nuclear warheads, could theoretically hit targets thousands of kilometers away with a margin of error of just a few tens of meters.