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What did Zapad 2025 mean for Belarus's neighbours?
Summary
A look back at 15 September 2025, when Russian-Belarusian drills were in their fourth day and Poland's border closure was in force.
What was happening on the Belarusian frontier on 15 September 2025? Russian and Belarusian forces were in the fourth day of Zapad 2025, a joint strategic exercise held in Belarus from 12 to 16 September 2025.
Belarus said the drills would test the defensive readiness of the Union State. Main activities were staged at central training areas near Barysaw, with units moving reciprocally between the two states. It was the first Zapad exercise since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and authorities described a scaled-down format with locations deeper inside Belarus.
Poland's response
On 11 September 2025, Poland closed its border with Belarus indefinitely and deployed 40,000 troops to it. Warsaw cited security concerns over the Russian-Belarusian exercises near the region, the first of their kind since 2022. The closure was therefore still in force on 15 September 2025, while the drills were under way.
A parallel move from Washington
The same day Poland acted, 11 September 2025, the United States lifted its sanctions on the Belarusian flag carrier Belavia. The step followed the release of political prisoners.
The two developments pointed in different directions. Poland responded to the exercises with a border closure and a large troop deployment, while the United States eased restrictions on Belavia after the prisoner releases. Both were already in place when the exercise reached its penultimate day on 15 September 2025.
