Russia may be preparing to stage new attack through Belarus — Ukrainian official

Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament and former head of the Ukrainian Security Service, said this on Espreso TV.

“Regarding the joint military exercises between Russia and Belarus, once again Putin is trying, with Lukashenko’s help, to simulate that the Belarusian front could supposedly reopen this summer. So far, there is no confirmation of this from the Ukrainian General Staff. As far as I know, the regions of Ukraine bordering Belarus are prepared for such threats. I believe the deterrence effect there is quite strong,” Nalyvaichenko noted.

According to him, both Lukashenko and the Russians see and know that Ukraine is ready in these regions: there are mined areas and prepared fortifications, so they won’t be able to just drive through as they did in February and March 2022.

“All this means only one thing: don’t panic, don’t lose heart, but instead, gather all possible resources in Ukraine and support the Armed Forces. Our General Staff knows exactly what is lacking in each area. Accordingly, that’s what needs to be supplied, produced, and purchased using all available state resources,” the former head of the Ukrainian Security Service emphasized.

What is known about Zapad-2025

On October 23, 2024, the Ministry of Defense of Belarus announced joint exercises with Russia called Zapad-2025. They are scheduled for mid-September 2025.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys stated that NATO is ready to respond to the joint Russian-Belarusian drills.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Russians are "preparing something" in Belarus this summer under the cover of military exercises.

It was later reported that during the Zapad-2025 joint exercises, Russian and Belarusian forces plan to simulate strikes with tactical nuclear weapons and the Oreshnik system.

On May 28, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin announced that Belarus would move the main maneuvers of the planned Zapad-2025 drills deeper into the country, allegedly to reduce tensions.