Poland launches its largest military drills of 2025 in response to Russia’s Zapad exercise
Polish armed forces launch largest drills of the year in response to Zapad 2025 / Illustrative photo (Photo: REUTERS/Kacper Pempel)
Poland has begun its largest military drills of the year,
Iron Defender 25, with more than 30,000 troops and 600 pieces of military
equipment taking part in land, sea, and air operations, RMF24
reported Sept. 1.
Soldiers from Poland and allied nations are participating in
the exercises, which are being held at training grounds in Orzysz, Ustka, and
Nowa Dęba, as well as in “field conditions” outside of designated military
zones.
Iron Defender is a large-scale, multi-phase operation that
integrates advanced fire support and reconnaissance platforms. The maneuvers
also incorporate lessons learned from combat operations in Ukraine.
Poland’s Armed Forces General Command emphasized the
importance of integrating land, air, sea, and cyber capabilities to enhance NATO’s
deterrence and operational readiness.
The Iron Defender drills are being held in response to the
Russian–Belarusian Zapad 2025 exercises, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy has warned could involve up to 150,000 troops. Polish Deputy Prime Minister
and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said the drills are a key
response to those actions, while stressing that they are not directed against
any particular country.
According to Poland’s General Staff, the goal of Iron
Defender is to demonstrate NATO’s unity, professionalism, and growing combat
capabilities. The drills also reflect the dynamic transformation of Poland’s
military and its growing role in Central and Eastern Europe’s security
architecture.
Due to the exercises, an increase in military vehicle
traffic is expected on Polish roads from mid-August through the end of
September. The General Staff said troop movements will be coordinated to
minimize disruptions for civilian drivers and urged heightened caution on the
roads.
What we know about Zapad 2025
Lithuania’s military intelligence agency has said it expects
30,000 troops from Belarus and Russia to participate in Zapad 2025.
On May 28, Russia and Belarus announced plans to scale down
the scope of the drills and move their core elements farther from NATO’s
borders. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), this may be an
attempt to project an image of active military cooperation while masking
Russia’s limited capabilities beyond the Ukrainian front.
On April 9, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces
Oleksandr Syrskyi warned that Zapad 2025, scheduled for fall, could be part of
preparations for a new Russian offensive against Ukraine. He said the threat
from the northern direction remains.
In September 2021, Russia and Belarus held the Zapad 2021
drills, which served as a show of force for Moscow in the western strategic
direction. After those exercises ended, some Russian forces remained in
Belarus—later launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine from its territory
on Feb. 24, 2022.
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