The declared phase of russia's annual Zapad-2025 Joint Strategic Exercise was conducted alongside Belarus from September 12, 2025, until September 16, 2025, although russian and Belarusian troops had been training together at exercise locations since at least August 2025, the UK Defense Intelligence reports.
Fewer land troops and armoured vehicles were likely involved than in previous russian annual exercises because of russia's heavy commitment to its illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Read more: Zapad-2025 Showcases Belarusian Shafran System or Just Repackaged Chinese Laser?
The Zapad-2025 exercises involved a significant maritime component, including both the russian Baltic and Northern Fleets, with russia reporting that the Northern Fleet Admiral Golovko frigate conducted a test launch of the Zircon hypersonic missile in the Barents Sea. The Barents Sea was a core focus for the maritime component. The exercise also involved airborne and amphibious landings.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement that over 100,000 service personnel participated probably misrepresents the effective scale of the exercise. It is likely that no more than 10,000 russian land forces troops took part in russia in Moscow and Leningrad Military Districts, including Kaliningrad.
In Belarus about 6,000 troops took part, about 5,000 Belarusian and 1,000 russian, reduced from its earlier announced 13,000 troops.
As Defense Express previously reported, the logistics hub of Pokrovsk remains the focal point for russian offensive operations. Pokrovsk is an important defensive lynchpin, constraining russian advances in the wider Donetsk region and towards the Ukrainian cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, both of which are also russian objectives, UK Defense Intelligence reports.
Major elements of russia's Naval Infantry have been transferred from russia's Kursk region and Ukraine's Sumy region to the Pokrovsk-Dobropillia axis, where they have started to conduct offensive activity in small groups.
Read more: UK Defense Intelligence: russia Transfers Naval Infantry to Target the Pokrovsk-Dobropillia Axis
