{"id":144881,"date":"2025-07-01T20:27:36","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T17:27:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/144881\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"zapad-2025-moved-inland-scaled-down-lukasenka-confirms","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/144881\/","title":{"rendered":"Zapad-2025 moved inland, scaled down, \u0141uka\u0161enka confirms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

July 1, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> The joint Belarusian-Russian military exercise Zapad-2025 will be moved inland to reduce tension, Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka told a festive gathering ahead of Independence Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk will not react to Western saber-rattling, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have reduced the number of troops by almost half and moved them deeper into our territory. Hundreds of kilometers away from the border,\u201d he announced, according to video clips released by state media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He expressed concern about the annual large-scale US-led exercise DefenderEurope conducted near Belarus, describing its scale as \u201cthreatening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwenty-five thousand NATO troops, as they declared, and about 3,000 pieces of weapons and equipment literally 10\u201315 km from our border. It is not even a stone\u2019s throw away; it is practically on our land,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka did not say that it was Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine, which he supported, that prompted Europe to strengthen its eastern flank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defender 25 is the largest US Army exercise in Europe, scheduled by US European Command and conducted by US Army Europe and Africa involving more than 25 Allied and partner nations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exercise, which began on April 10, involves approximately 25,000 troops from the US, allies and partners. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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