Recently, Vladimir Putin could be seen not in a black suit, and in a military uniform. It was a second time from the beginning of the war in Ukraine, when the Russian president showed himself in a military outfit
On Tuesday, he went to Mulino east of Moscow to take part in the end of military maneuvers. Then he explained that the purpose of military exercises was to test “all elements necessary for the unconditional defense of our [rosyjskiej] sovereignty, territorial integrity and protection against all aggression. “
Vladimir Putin watches the exhibition of military equipment during joint inspections of Russian-Belarusian military exercises ZAPAD 2025, September 16, 2025.Mikhail Metzel / Pool / AFP / AFP
The West received those five -day maneuvers, which took place, among others, in Königsberg and Belarus, as a threat. Among the Prokcko war bloggers, however, they became the subject of mockery.
Poland closed its border crossings with Belarus and, together with Lithuania, was afraid of a particularly sensitive Suwałki corridor, and NATO moved its troops to the eastern border. Belarus tried to alleviate the negative perception of its actions, allowing Western observers and conducting most of the exercises at a distance from the NATO border. Nevertheless, this country remains strongly associated with the Kremlin. In the case of the potential war of Russia with the North Atlantic Alliance, it can become a field of armed activities.
War restrictions
In addition to military from Russia and Belarus, several dozen soldiers from India also participated in the exercises. Observers from China, North Korea, Pakistan and Thailand came to the place of maneuvers. Lukashenko also invited NATO Member States in this character, which was to be a conciliation gesture on his part – representatives of the United States, Turkey and Hungary came to Belarus.
– We are not a threat to anyone and we are in favor of building a constructive one […] dialogue – said Belarusian military Walerij Rewenko. He added that the exercises have a limited range and take place away from the borders of NATO, which is to emphasize their defensive character.
The main reason for a significant reduction in the contingent of soldiers participating in the exercises compared to the maneuvers of ZAPAD 2021 was, however, a war in Ukraine, which engages Russian forces. About 100,000 took part in the PMA 2025 exercises. soldiers, which is nearly twice as less than four years ago. Despite this, various operations were tested on 41 military training grounds: jet aircraft performed low -height flights, the military practiced operations using drones and maneuvering missiles, and tested the scenario in which the Fictitious Eastern Republic was attacked by an equally fictitious “opponent” of a joint forces.
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Ultimately, however, the 2025 rap exercises turned out to be a great show. The Russian media previously announced that “conclusions would be included in them [płynące] from a special military operation. “According to Defense Blog and Russian analysts The Russian Ministry of Defense, however, staged unrealistic maneuvers and with stoic calmly repeated its old mistakes.
Show exercises
It was striking that the 2025 ZAM exercises were publicly ridiculed by Russian military bloggers. They pointed out that Russian generals reached for tactics that had already failed during the war in Ukraine. For example, the military practiced the dropping of bombs from fighters – this strategy caused that the Russian army suffered heavy losses during the assault on Kiev, which is why the Russians modified it. In addition, exercise participants tested parachute jumping in maneuvers, which were developed during the Cold War, but were never implemented in practice.
Russian channel called war correspondent laughed at the telegram that These are not exercises, but only a circus for generals, who watched them from the stands through binoculars. The two Majora channel wrote that such tactics can now be attacked at most native Americans and cowboys.
Further controversies were related to the Russian medium -sized Ballistic missile Oreszniki. Formally, the exercises were to include tests of this missile with an atomic head. In the official documentation of maneuvers, however, there was not a single mention of this subject.
An employee of the Belarusian defense minister even announced that there would be no exercises using the oresznik, despite the fact that his superior officially sent the opposite message. Information about the use of the bullet was also included in the final statement of the ZAPAD 2025 exercise. However, there are no photos that would confirm that maneuvers were actually conducted, so doubts are justified. I can explain the Russian war channel called this so he wrote jokingly about the “Schroedinger Rocket”. There are also no signs of conducting exercises with the participation of Buriewiesnik maneuvering missiles, which military observers previously called “flying Chernobyl”.
I’m Ashley Davis as an editor, I’m committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accuracy in every piece we publish. My work is driven by curiosity, a passion for truth, and a belief that journalism plays a crucial role in shaping public discourse. I strive to tell stories that not only inform but also inspire action and conversation.
