"I Will Defend My People": Lukashenko Discusses Upcoming "West-2025" Exercises

In a recent interview with MTRK “Mir,” President Alexander Lukashenko shared details regarding the forthcoming "West-2025" military exercises.

"I will defend my people. I know how things were in 1941: we constantly tried to pacify the Germans. We aimed to please them in some way. They flew in with their planes, exhibiting blatant behavior, and we gathered all our aircraft from the airports into one place and began making repairs. We didn’t even deploy our army; we focused solely on appeasement. And what came of it? Putin is right: after all of that, they lied, deceived, and so forth. Enough is enough. We must always be prepared," the President emphasized.

Lukashenko noted that he recently discussed the upcoming Belarusian-Russian exercises "West-2025" with President Vladimir Putin. The exercises are set to take place in mid-September.

"I have signed a directive regarding these exercises, as they need to be organized here, among other preparations. The training grounds have been designated. Despite the fact that there is a war and a special military operation ongoing, President Putin and I have agreed that, while war is war, we must also look to the future and consider other directions and potential theaters of military action, God forbid. Therefore, we will conduct these exercises. Belarus should play a central role for certain reasons, especially given the significant diversion of Russian troops. The time has come for us to demonstrate our capabilities. Russian forces will also be present. Hence, we will do everything to protect our common Homeland," the Belarusian leader remarked.

"Our Homeland stretches from Brest to Vladivostok. However, within this homeland, we have completely independent states—sovereign Belarus and the Russian Federation. Additionally, there are regions that possess considerable autonomy, such as Tatarstan and Bashkortostan," he added.

Lukashenko reminded listeners of how Belarus's western neighbors—Poland and the Baltic States—are exacerbating tensions. The situation is also heightened in the south, along the border with Ukraine.

"We must not only take this into account; we must regard it seriously. Hence, we are conducting these exercises aimed at enhancing our defensive capabilities in response to the behavior of our western neighbors," the President concluded.