{"id":155474,"date":"2025-09-15T12:31:19","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T09:31:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/155474\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"vilnius-says-zapad-2025-backed-by-information-campaign","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/155474\/","title":{"rendered":"Vilnius says Zapad-2025 backed by information campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (Pozirk)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

September 15, Pozirk. <\/em><\/strong>The scale of information pressure on Lithuania increased almost tenfold after the start of the major Russian-Belarusian Zapad-2025 drill on September 12, Vilmantas Vitkauskas, in charge of Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Center, has said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“By information pressure, we do not mean disinformation, but the dissemination of certain messages about the exercises, their allegedly defensive nature and the military power of Russia and Belarus,” Delfi <\/em>reports, quoting him as saying. \u201cIt is this information pressure that we are monitoring.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The official said the development is not unusual, as Lithuania has observed similar trends before previous drills in Belarus, and noted that pressure is expected to ease once Zapad-2025 concludes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moscow launched the joint military exercise Zapad-2025 in Belarus, Russia as well as in the waters of the Baltic and Barents Seas on September 12. The drill, scheduled to end on September 16, prompted Belarus\u2019 neighbors to take unprecedented security measures, including the closure of the Polish-Belarusian border<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lithuania has not closed its border but has announced measures to reinforce security. Latvia, meanwhile, is conducting Namejs 2025, involving about 12,000 Latvian and allied troops, including units from Estonia. Lithuania has begun Perk\u016bno Griausmas, with some 17,000 Lithuanian and NATO personnel. Poland is carrying out Iron Defender-25, its largest strategic exercise of the year, involving around 34,000 Polish and allied soldiers and more than 600 pieces of military equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the first day of the exercises, Chrenin stressed that the maneuvers are taking place \u201cat a considerable distance from the southern and western borders\u201d and were not directed \u201cagainst any specific country or countries.\u201d However, earlier he announced that the drill would include training in planning the use of nuclear weapons and Russia\u2019s Oreshnik hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missiles with a focus on air defense, defensive ground operations and tactical aviation support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The previous Zapad drills, held several months before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, involved about 200,000 troops in total. Russian forces stationed in Belarus at that time later took part in the invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s exercise is smaller in scale, according to Lithuanian military intelligence chief Mindaugas Mazonas, and may involve up to 30,000 troops across both countries. In Belarus, around 8,000 personnel are said to be taking part, including up to 2,000 Russians. Minsk has not disclosed official figures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Moscow, the first stage focuses on repelling aggression against the Union State of Belarus and Russia. The second stage will involve the command and control of troops, including coalition forces from allied states, with the stated goal of securing territorial integrity and defeating the enemy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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