Russia and its ally Belarus have launched the joint military exercise "Zapad-2025," which is scheduled to run through Tuesday. The drills are taking place at training grounds in both countries, as well as in the Baltic Sea.



Zapad means "west" in Russian. One of the exercises, held near the Belarusian capital Minsk on Monday, was open to the media. It simulated the capture of a settlement where enemy forces were hiding.



The operation involved airstrikes and tank assaults, and also made use of unmanned vehicles and robots.



Belarus's defense ministry emphasized that the exercise does not pose a threat to neighboring countries. But Poland has heightened its alert level after Russian drones intruded into its airspace earlier this month.



Belarusian defense minister Viktor Khrenin had initially said that the exercise would include a review of the planned deployment of Russia's new intermediate-range ballistic missile called Oreshnik. But it remains unclear whether such a review actually took place.



A military attache at the US Embassy in Belarus also observed the drills and was seen speaking with the Belarusian defense minister. The publicized encounter seemed to be a diplomatic gesture aimed at signaling Minsk's willingness to improve ties with Washington.