Drones each carry a Russia, left, and Belarus national flag, during the joint Russian-Belarusian military drills at a training ground near Barysaw, Belarus, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Warsaw, Poland :Tensions between NATO and Moscow have escalated to their highest point in years following a dramatic series of Russian military maneuvers and provocative drone incursions into alliance territory.
In what NATO officials have described as a calculated show of force, Russia has launched sweeping joint military drills with Belarus — including scenarios involving nuclear weapons — under the banner of Zapad 2025, or “West 2025.”
The exercises, which began just days after a failed U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska aimed at de-escalating the war in Ukraine, have alarmed NATO members bordering Belarus — particularly Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania. The drills feature nuclear-capable bombers, warships, thousands of troops, and simulations involving Russia’s new Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, which has already been used in Ukraine.
On September 10, in a move widely seen as a deliberate provocation, approximately 20 Russian drones breached Polish airspace. Belarusian officials claimed the drones had been jammed by Ukrainian forces and inadvertently crossed the border, while Moscow denied any deliberate incursion. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, however, dismissed those claims, calling the event “a provocation” and warning, “It brings us all closer to open conflict — closer than at any point since World War II.”
NATO Responds with “Eastern Sentry” Defense Initiative
In Brussels, newly appointed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte condemned the Russian drone flights and unveiled Eastern Sentry, a new initiative to bolster air defenses along the alliance’s eastern flank.
“Drones are not only violating Polish airspace,” Rutte said. “They’ve also breached the borders of Romania, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Russia’s reckless behavior is erasing any illusion that only our easternmost members are at risk. Let’s agree — within this alliance of 32 countries, we all live on the eastern flank now.”
The Zapad 2025 drills are particularly concerning to NATO because of their scope and the explicit inclusion of nuclear planning. Officials have confirmed that the simulations involved planning for both defensive and offensive nuclear responses, including the potential deployment of Oreshnik missiles to Belarus later this year.
A Dangerous Nuclear Shift:
This month marks one year since Russian President Vladimir Putin revised Moscow’s nuclear doctrine, declaring that any conventional attack on Russia supported by a nuclear-armed nation would be treated as a joint nuclear attack. Western officials have interpreted this as an attempt to deter NATO from backing long-range Ukrainian strikes inside Russian territory.
“This is not just saber-rattling,” said a senior NATO defense official who asked to remain anonymous. “Zapad 2025 operationalizes a more aggressive Russian nuclear posture. It lowers the threshold for nuclear use — especially if the Kremlin feels Ukraine is getting too bold with Western backing.”
Moscow now claims to have deployed tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, formally placing the country under its nuclear umbrella. The upcoming deployment of Oreshnik missiles there would further cement Belarus’s role as a forward nuclear platform.
A Cold Peace Out of Reach:
The latest maneuvers come against the backdrop of an increasingly intractable war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year. Despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed efforts to broker a peace deal — including his August 15 summit with Putin in Alaska — no progress has been made. Instead, military activity has intensified on both sides.
Russia’s first use of the Oreshnik missile in November 2024 signaled a new phase in the conflict. At the time, Putin warned that any country enabling Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian territory could become the missile’s next target — a threat that now looms over NATO capitals from Warsaw to London.
As the war grinds on and nuclear rhetoric escalates, European leaders are increasingly united in the belief that deterrence must be strengthened. For many, Zapad 2025 is not just a military drill — it’s a warning.
