The Russian Ministry of Defense stated, “Crews of the Tu-22M3 supersonic missile bombers, belonging to the long-range aviation force, conducted combat training missions over the neutral waters of the Barents Sea as part of the joint strategic maneuvers ‘Zapad-2025’. The flight lasted about 4 hours.” According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, all patrols are conducted in accordance with international rules for the use of international airspace.
The ‘Zapad-2025’ maneuvers are taking place on Belarusian territory from September 12 to 16. They aim to test the capabilities of the two countries to ensure the military security of the union state and their readiness to repel any potential aggression. Russian and Belarusian officials have repeatedly emphasized that the ‘Zapad-2025’ maneuvers are planned and pose no threat to anyone.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters a day before the exercises began, “These are planned maneuvers, not directed against anyone. We are talking about continued military cooperation and interaction between two strategic allies,” and affirmed that they are not directed against any third country.
Earlier, the Belarusian Minister of Defense announced that the ‘Zapad-2025’ exercises will include drills on planning the use of nuclear weapons as well as testing the ‘Oryshnik’ system, according to the BelTA agency.
