Putin Boasts 100,000 Troops Are Participating In Belarus-Russia Drills

Russia’s President Putin on Tuesday boasted that some 100,000 military personnel are taking part in the major joint Russia-Belarus war games called ”Zapad-2025″ – which has deeply alarmed Poland and other so-called NATO eastern flank countries.

The drills have been going for several days, and come to a close on Tuesday, and have focused on the stated goal of testing defense of the ‘Union State’ – and to repel all potential aggression.

Putin actually visited the Mulino training ground, a main staging location for the drills, in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod Region. Aspects to the exercise are happening a sites both in Belarus and Russia.

In total, the exercise ensued at 41 training grounds, with the some 100,000 troops utilizing 10,000 weapons and equipment systems, according to fresh words of Putin. 

“Moreover, this is all modern equipment used in practical combat work, and the plans for the exercise are based on the experience gained during the special military operation. Ten thousand types of equipment, including 333 aircraft: tactical aviation, strategic aviation and military transport aviation. More than 247 ships are also used: surface, submarine and support vessels,” Putin was quoted in Russian media as saying.

Russian President Putin put on military fatigues and visited the Mulino Training Ground in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod Oblast to oversee the active phase of the ongoing joint Russia-Belarus “Zapad-2025″ strategic exercise.

According to him, the drills are taking place at 41… pic.twitter.com/H4ggT3bMgC

— Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (@Archer83Able) September 16, 2025

The drills also included twenty-five foreign delegations which participated. Other nations sent representatives to observe. As we noted earlier, one notable presence was a Pentagon delegation.

US military officers were on hand to observe the war games, and were photographed, in what was described as a surprise visit wherein Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin instructed that the US officials could look at “whatever is of interest for you.”

According to a description in Reuters:

“Who would have thought how the morning of another day of the Zapad-2025 exercise would begin?” it [the defense ministry] said in a statement noting their presence among representatives from 23 countries including two other NATO member states — Turkey and Hungary.

The ministry released video showing two uniformed U.S. officers thanking Khrenin for the invitation and shaking his hand. “We will show whatever is of interest for you. Whatever you want. You can go there and see, talk to people,” the minister told the Americans, who declined to speak to reporters.

State media reporters were on hand to capture the visit…

This development was also unprecedented and highly unusual given Belarus has been Moscow’s closest partner in executing the ‘special military operation’ in neighboring Ukraine, having utilized its territory to send tens of thousands of Russian troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and after.