Poland, NATO allies launch Iron Defender exercises ahead of Russian-Belarusian Zapad drills

According to RMF24, over 30,000 soldiers from Poland and allied countries are practicing maneuvers on land, at sea, and in the air.

“At the training grounds in Orzysz (Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship), Ustka (Pomeranian Voivodeship), and Nowa Dęba (Subcarpathian Voivodeship), we will test our readiness for defense,” the Polish Armed Forces General Command said.

The exercises also involve 600 pieces of military equipment of all types.

Maneuvers are taking place not only on designated training grounds but also on so-called suitable terrain, meaning areas outside military facilities.

Iron Defender is a federated exercise, meaning it consists of coordinated but smaller-scale drills.

The General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces emphasized that new weapons and reconnaissance equipment will be tested during tactical operations, and lessons learned from combat in Ukraine will be actively implemented.

“The key factor will be the integration of actions on land, in the air, at sea, and in cyberspace, which directly affects the growth of NATO’s deterrence and operational capabilities,” the statement reads.

The report noted that these exercises are a response to the Russian-Belarusian Zapad-2025 maneuvers scheduled for September.

• On August 31, Belarus’s Vitebsk region began exercises of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) states, conducted together with Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Russia will share its experience from the war in Ukraine.