Zapad Exercises: Balancing Military Power in the Region I
By Dr. Syed Mehboob
Economic and Political Analyst
Wars are synonymous with destruction, death, and economic instability, and peace-loving nations always avoid wars. But to save one’s country from evil eyes, preparation for war, and deterrence against enemy conspiracies are also very important. The United States of America and NATO are the largest holders of defense budgets in the world. They want to maintain a unipolar world with a Western monopoly and are not willing to allow any other power to play its role in global politics and peace. Look at the Defense budgets of these countries.
The USA defense budget for 2025 is US$962 billion, and the NATO Europe Canada budget is US$1,404 billion. Their combined defense budget is US$2,366 billion, which is far more than the entire rest of the world.
Defence Expenditure
Year NATO Europe and Canada Defense Budget
2022 1,151
2023 1,180
2024 1,305
2025 1,404
Russia’s defense budget for 2025 is only US$161.89 billion, far less than that of the USA and NATO countries. Russia wants to play its effective role in global politics, peace, and stability. It is the largest country of the world in terms of area of 17,096,246 sq. km. Zapad 2025 Exercises were a move towards balancing the power in the region and to promote multi-polar world.
On September 12–16, 2025, the Zapad-2025 strategic exercises were held on the territory of Russia, Belarus, and in the waters of two seas. In addition to the armed forces of the two countries, military contingents from partner states also participated. The participants practiced the latest combat techniques based on the experience gained in the special operation and used advanced weapons. The joint Russian-Belarusian exercises were not unexpected. Since 2009, they have been held every two years (with the exception of 2023, when the event was not held), and have been known as "West"(Zapad) or "Shield of the Union." In October 2024, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin announced that the two countries' armed forces were preparing for the 2025 exercises. The goals of Zapad-2025 are purely defensive: practicing actions to repel an attack on the Union State.
The military trained at 41 training grounds in both Russia and Belarus, as well as in the Baltic and Barents Seas. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who visited the final day of the exercises, 100,000 military personnel, about 10,000 pieces of equipment and weapons, 333 aircraft, and approximately 250 warships and support vessels were involved in the training exercises. The exercise was observed by delegations from 23 countries, including three NATO countries (the United States, Turkey, and Hungary), and six countries sent military contingents to participate in the event.
The Zapad-2025 exercise has caused a strong reaction from several countries. For example, Poland has decided to close its border crossings with Belarus, and in response, it has organized the Iron Defender divisional exercise with NATO, involving approximately 34,000 troops and 600 pieces of equipment. The Baltic countries have also agreed to hold the Perkuno Griausmas exercise in September and October.
During the Zapad-2025 exercises, the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons was planned, as well as the deployment of the “Oreshnik” missile system with medium-range ballistic missiles, a new product from the Russian defense industry. On March 25, 2023, Vladimir Putin announced that, at the request of Belarus, Russia would deploy tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of the republic, noting that the United States had long been deploying its nuclear weapons in allied countries. The carriers of Russian special munitions are the Iskander operational-tactical missile systems and aircraft. In June 2023, the Russian leader announced that the first nuclear weapons had been delivered to Belarus, and the arrival of the rest was expected by the end of 2023. The Belarusian military was already preparing for the combat use of a formidable weapon — they participated in the exercises of the non-strategic nuclear forces of the Russian Federation in June 2024.
The only case of the use of "Oreshnik" at the moment is the defeat of the large Ukrainian industrial complex Yuzhmash in November 2024. At that time, the «Oreshnik» was used with non-nuclear warheads, although it is capable of carrying nuclear charges. The complex is produced jointly with Belarus, which makes mobile launchers for it. During the exercises, the Russian military trained to use hypersonic weapons, which are used to strike targets of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) during the special military operation. On September 14, the frigate Admiral Golovko destroyed a sea target with a Zircon missile, guided by a long-range anti-submarine aircraft, Tu-142. On September 16, the same ship fired a Zircon missile at a coastal target at the Chizha training ground in the Astrakhan Region from the Barents Sea. "The distance from the launch point to the target position was approximately 900 kilometers," the Russian Ministry of Defense noted. "According to objective control data, the missile struck the designated target with a direct hit."
Another hypersonic novelty, the Kinzhal, was used by MiG-31 aircraft crews. The Russian military department emphasized that the combat training exercises were carried out considering the combat experience gained in the special operation. The special military operation of the Russian Armed Forces (AF) has shown how important the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of various classes is in modern combat operations. During Zapad-2025, a lot of attention was paid to the use of combat robots and protection against them, which became a distinctive feature of the event. In the special military operation, drones are widely used to adjust artillery fire. During the recent exercises, UAVs helped 120-mm mortar crews to hit targets with minimal ammunition consumption. At the same time, the mortarmen equipped their positions in such a way that they were difficult to spot from the air.
FPV drones are used in special operations by Russian attack aircraft when attacking enemy positions: kamikaze drone operators strike, and then infantry enter the enemy stronghold. This tactic was also practiced during Zapad-2025. In another episode of the exercises, FPV drones helped repel a simulated enemy attack, protecting the units of the Islamic Republic of Iran that were participating in the training. ` Tank crews also learned how to defend against drones: According to the scenario of one of the exercises, a column of tanks and armored vehicles was attacked by "enemy" UAVs during a march. The attack was successfully repelled, "taking into account the experience of modern military conflicts."
In another episode of the exercise, a special unit of unmanned aerial vehicles, the Varyag, successfully repelled a massive drone attack by a simulated enemy using FPV interceptors. Mobile fire groups and observation posts were deployed to intercept the enemy drones. "By using a combination of radar stations, FPV interceptor drones, aircraft-type UAVs, and electronic warfare equipment, the Varyag team successfully achieved dominance in the low and medium-altitude skies," the Russian Ministry of Defense said.
On September 16, 2025, a full-scale robotic offensive took place at the Mulino training ground in the Nizhny Novgorod region. According to the Russian military department, operators of the RTC-200, Kaban, and Bogomol robotic systems, as well as FPV drones, created passages through minefields. Then, the ground-based systems Courier, Impulse, and Varan, armed with heavy machine guns and automatic grenade launchers, entered the battle. The Omich and Impulse robotic systems were responsible for neutralizing enemy UAVs, while the Yelka interceptor drones, which were launched from robotic platforms, were responsible for air defense.
Baltic sailors have been training to destroy unmanned boats (UBs). Ukraine and Russia are using naval drones in the Black Sea during the special operation. On September 15, Baltic sailors simulated repelling an attack by an UB using machine guns and small arms, and prevented the landing of a simulated enemy force by destroying a target that resembled a naval drone. Both the Strelet and the stationary Berezhok missile-gun system with a 30-mm automatic cannon and Kornet guided missiles were used.
During the Zapad-2025 exercises, tactics developed during the special military operation were practiced. For example, tank crews from the Leningrad Military District performed indirect fire, hitting the rear of a simulated enemy with high-explosive fragmentation shells at a range of up to 8 kilometers. Tanks are widely used in special military operations as well-protected self-propelled artillery units. During the support of assault groups, Ka-52M and Mi-28NM attack helicopters fired unguided missiles while diving (according to a video posted by the Russian Ministry of Defense). This technique allows for increased target engagement range and prevents the helicopters from entering the range of enemy front-line anti-aircraft weapons.
During the repulsion of the so-called counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, helicopter pilots played a significant role by conducting a real hunt for enemy armored vehicles from a great distance. Anti-tank guided missiles were used in this process. The long-range strike was also practiced during Zapad-2025, where Mi-28NM helicopter crews conducted an airstrike using a lightweight X-39 guided missile at a distance of up to 22 kilometers, without exposing themselves to the risk of being shot down by simulated air defense systems.
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