{"id":133586,"date":"2025-04-09T18:45:17","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T15:45:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/133586\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"ukraines-general-says-upcoming-zapad-drill-to-be-used-for-troops-redeployment","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/133586\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine\u2019s general says upcoming Zapad drill to be used for troops redeployment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n \"\"\n
\n
\n\n Ukrainian soldiers fortifying the border with Belarus in 2023\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Ukrainian Armed Forces)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

April 9, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> The upcoming Belarusian-Russian Zapad-2025 exercise in Belarus might be used as a pretext for regrouping troops, Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine’s top military commander, told LB.ua<\/em> in an interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He described exercises as a good excuse to redeploy troops, mass and regroup forces for an attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This is how it started in 2022, too,” he warned. “Initially, the grouping was created, it was undergoing training, and we all hoped it would end and the Russian troops would return to their territory. But when [Russia] decided to continue these exercises, everything was clear to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly warned that Moscow may use the exercise, scheduled for September, as a pretext to mass troops in Belarus for an attack on European Union countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These concerns are not unfounded: in February 2022, Moscow\u2019s troops that were in Belarus for a drill went on to join the Russian invading army in an offensive on Kyiv.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In September, Minsk and Moscow plan a joint Zapad-2025 exercise in Belarus that officials said would involve more than 13,000 troops. This major exercise will be synchronized with Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) drills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk notified all the Vienna Document participating states of plans to host the drill, its timeframe and troops involved, the head of Belarus\u2019 international military cooperation department, Valeryj Ravienka said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lithuanian Foreign Minister K\u0119stutis Budrys has warned today that the scale of Zapad exercises has always been far larger than declared, urging NATO to respond symmetrically to an increase in the number of Russian and Belarusian troops during the drill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n
\n \"\"