Ukraine’s top general assesses risks of joint Russia-Belarus drills planned for fall

Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said this in an interview with LB.ua.

When asked whether the joint Russian-Belarusian exercises Zapad-2025 scheduled for autumn could be an element of preparation for an offensive against Ukraine from Belarusian territory, Syrskyi replied that every exercise has a certain purpose.

“And one of those purposes is the covert formation of offensive troop groupings. That is, the appearance of exercises is the most acceptable way to redeploy, transfer troops, concentrate them in a certain direction, and form a grouping,” the Commander-in-Chief added.

Syrskyi also recalled that this is exactly how everything began in 2022. Initially, a military grouping was formed, which conducted exercises. At the time, Kyiv hoped that they would end and the Russians would return to Russia. However, when the exercises were extended, Syrskyi said, “it became clear that that was it.”

Assessing the threat posed by the upcoming autumn exercises, the Commander-in-Chief stated that this factor must definitely be taken into account.

• On October 23, 2024, the Defense Ministry of Belarus announced the joint exercises Zapad-2025 with Russia. On April 4, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys stated that NATO is ready to respond to the joint Russian-Belarusian exercises.