Lithuania preparing mirror response to Zapad-2025

May 30, Pozirk. The Lithuanian army will be on high alert to react to the Belarusian-Russian Zapad-2025 exercise scheduled for September, General Raimundas Vaikšnoras, in charge of Lithuania’s defense, has told BNS.

The army will be on alert in August and September, engaging in maneuvers “to avoid any escalation and to be able to react promptly in case of provocations,” he said, noting that soldiers will not be allowed to go on leave during these months.

Each unit hold drills involving reservists, the general noted.

Vilnius plans exercises for officers of the land, air and sea forces command, Vaikšnoras added. Lithuania will synchronize its drills with its neighbors and allies with exercises involving NATO ships and fighter jets, both in Lithuania and other locations, he said.

Vaikšnoras was cautious about the announcement by Belarusian Defense Minister Viktar Chrenin that Minsk and Moscow would half the number of troops involved in Zapad-2025 and move major maneuvers away from Belarus’ western borders. The signs of goodwill sound politically correct, but the underlying reasons remain unclear, he noted.

New locations would facilitate the detection of potential aggression and reduce the risk of incidents, while a decreased number of troops is indicative of de-escalation, which would benefit global security, he said.

More than 13,000 soldiers were originally expected to participate in Zapad-2025. Belarusian officials have not yet commented on the updated number of troops, stressing only that Minsk will notify other states even though the exercise will involve fewer troops than the threshold of 9,000 soldiers required for notification under the Vienna Document.

Lithuania has no precise information about the number of troops to be involved in Zapad-2025, yet it may depend on the situation in Ukraine, where large Russian forces are concentrated, Vaikšnoras said.

Russia may use Zapad-2025 as a show of force rather than deploying combat units on the ground, the general added, noting potential dangers in the air and the sea where Moscow may practice a mock nuclear attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly warned that Moscow may use Zapad-2025 as a pretext to mass troops in Belarus for an attack on a European Union country.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said earlier this year that the scale of Zapad exercises has always been far larger than declared, urging NATO to respond symmetrically.

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Defense official emphasizes Minsk’s openness on Zapad-2025 drill

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