Poland to react appropriately to Russia's Zapad drills - gov't official
Poland will take appropriate measures in response to the Zapad-2025 military exercises being organised by Russia and Belarus for September, Poland's deputy defence minister has announced.
Cezary Tomczyk told the RMF24 radio on Monday that both the Polish armed forces and NATO would respond to the upcoming exercises "in an adequate manner."
"There will be extensive Polish and NATO drills, significant maneuvers taking place in Poland," he said. "Let's also remember that last year, we witnessed the largest NATO exercises in history, involving approximately 100,000 soldiers. NATO is stronger than Russia."
The Belarusian-Russian Zapad exercises have been conducted every four years since 2009. The most recent drills in 2021, involving over 200,000 troops, were the largest exercises in the western direction since the collapse of the Soviet Union and were later revealed as preparations for the invasion of Ukraine.
When asked if there were any "troubling signals" regarding this year's exercises, Tomczyk replied that "signals concerning Russia and Belarus are always worrisome." (PAP)
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