Russia has conducted cruise missile launches over the Barents Sea as part of the Zapad-2025 military exercises with Belarus, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
The joint drills, which lasted five days, involved around 7,000 troops — including 6,000 from Belarus — and were billed as a test of combat readiness. Russian Tu-160 nuclear-capable bombers carried out training missions over neutral waters of the Barents Sea, escorted by MiG-31 fighter jets, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
The exercises come amid heightened tensions with NATO, days after Poland and Romania accused Russia of violating their airspace. Poland responded by shooting down drones during Moscow’s largest aerial assault on Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, while Romania scrambled fighter jets after a drone incursion.
The incidents marked the first time a NATO member has fired shots during Russia’s war in Ukraine, raising alarm across the alliance. Poland has since temporarily closed its border with Belarus as a precaution.
Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin was expected to observe parts of the drills in Russia, which officials said were conducted under “conditions as close as possible to combat.”
Moscow and Minsk insist the war games are defensive in nature, but Western officials see them as a show of force aimed at NATO’s eastern flank.
