(MENAFN) Ukraine has warned Belarus to keep its distance from the border during the upcoming ‘Zapad-2025’ military exercises, set for September 12–16. The caution comes amid Belarus’s cooperation with Russian forces, who have used Belarusian territory since the conflict with Ukraine escalated in February 2022. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly insisted that Minsk has no intention of attacking Kiev and would act only if provoked.

In a statement on Friday, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said, “We warn Minsk against reckless provocations and urge it to remain prudent, refrain from approaching the borders, and avoid provoking Ukraine’s Defense Forces.”

The exercises will feature counter-sabotage operations, drone warfare, electronic interference scenarios, and assaults, and will include the Russian Oreshnik intermediate-range hypersonic missile. First tested in November 2024 against Ukraine’s Yuzhmash facility in Dnepr, the missile’s conventional destructive power has been compared by Russian officials to a low-yield nuclear strike.

Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin described the drills as “an important element for our strategic deterrence” and cited NATO activity—particularly Poland’s deployment of 30,000 troops near Belarus—as a key concern.

Belarus, a close Russian ally, signed a bilateral security treaty with Moscow in December 2024, committing both nations to defend each other’s sovereignty. In 2023, Russia deployed tactical nuclear weapons and short-range ballistic missiles on Belarusian soil. Lukashenko has also advocated for the accelerated delivery of Oreshnik systems, which could be stationed in Belarus before the end of 2025.

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