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A Germany-led military training exercise, “Northern Coasts,” began this week as a run-up to the Quadriga 2025 exercises in the Baltic Sea region, with participation from more than a dozen NATO allies, including the United States and Canada.

Germany’s top military commander, Gen. Carsten Breuer, announced at a press conference in Berlin that the drills would form the core of the Quadriga 2025 exercise series, aimed at enhancing deterrence and improving the operational readiness of allied forces.

“Russian President Putin is watching us. His plans extend beyond Ukraine. As armed forces, we must prepare for this,” Breuer said, stressing that the exercises would address both hybrid and conventional threats.

The military exercise involves 8,000 soldiers from 14 nations, 40 ships, 30 aircraft, and more than 1,800 vehicles. According to Breuer, troops and equipment will be transported to Lithuania by sea, land, and air as part of the training.

Gen. Breuer also highlighted the rise in potential tensions with Russia, which is currently leading a large-scale joint military exercise “Zapad 2025” around the same region and close to NATO ally Lithuania’s border.

“Some parts of Quadriga will inevitably overlap with Zapad,” he said, adding that “And I would like to emphasize once again that we want to deter, we do not want escalation. We are practicing defense exclusively.”

“For Zapad 2025, we have not yet received any evidence that there are any preparations for an attack under the guise of the exercises. But we are vigilant. And by vigilant, I don’t just mean the German armed forces, I mean NATO,” he added.

⚓ Allied strength at sea!
SNMCMG1 conducted a PHOTEX during exercise Northern Coasts ’25. Flagship LVNS Virsaitis (A53) 🇱🇻 at anchor, units alongside, and commanders gathered with Commander SNMCMG1 to reaffirm Allied cooperation at sea. #WeAreNATO pic.twitter.com/649SddlzmV

— NATO Maritime Command (@NATO_MARCOM) September 3, 2025

Russia and Belarus launch “Zapad 2025” with CSTO partners

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan have joined the Zapad 2025 military drills currently underway in Belarus. The exercises began with a parade in Vitebsk, featuring troops from Belarus, Russia, and the three Central Asian states. Currently, the drills and training are taking place at the Losvido and Lepelsky grounds and are set to last for a week.

CSTO officials stated that the drills are designed to prepare the bloc’s joint forces for potential crises. This year’s edition of “Zapad,” which means “West” in Russian, is scheduled to expand further towards European borders from September 12 to 16.

Russia used the previous “Zapad” exercise in September 2021 to position forces that later took part in the invasion of Ukraine. The 2023 edition was canceled due to Moscow’s difficulties in sustaining operations in Ukraine. Despite those challenges, “Zapad 2025” is expected to include nuclear weapons and Russian-made hypersonic missiles.

In response, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland plan to conduct their own exercises involving around 40,000 troops. Lithuania, which borders both Belarus and Russia, has placed its security apparatus on high alert.

“This year, up to 30,000 troops are expected to participate,” Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence said. “Around 6,000–8,000 will be stationed in Belarus, with several thousand in Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave. Despite rumors of larger forces, Lithuanian intelligence reports no such increase.”

Gen. Raimundas Vaiknoras, Lithuania’s chief of defense, said the three Baltic States and Poland will hold simultaneous drills with allied forces to strengthen deterrence. “The Lithuanian contingent, without speculating too much on numbers, will be around 10,000, plus another 6,000 or so from our allies. And this applies not only on land, but also at sea and in the air,” he said.

He added that Baltic and Polish exercises would likely mobilize more personnel and capabilities than what reconnaissance has observed in “Zapad 2025.”

Poland and allies monitor Russian activity

Poland, as NATO’s largest ally in the region bordering Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad, is coordinating closely with partners and monitoring developments through the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

“The upcoming ‘Zapad 2025’ exercises by Russia and Belarus, in the context of the ongoing war against Ukraine, illustrate further aggressive behavior and deepening cooperation between the two countries,” a spokesperson for Poland’s Ministry of National Defense said.

Warsaw warned that the risk of provocations would rise during “Zapad 2025.” According to officials, these could include cyberattacks, GPS jamming against NATO infrastructure, or small-scale military incidents designed to test allied responses.

The nuclear dimension raises security concerns

Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin told the state news agency that the drills would partly focus on nuclear weapons operations and the use of the intermediate-range Oreshnik ballistic missile, which Russia has deployed in its war against Ukraine.

“Certainly, within the framework of the ‘Zapad’ exercise together with Russian colleagues, we will practice matters of planning to use this kind of weapons,” Khrenin said.

Belarus’s growing military alignment with Russia has also led to the modernization of its air force to carry tactical nuclear weapons. In August 2022, Belarusian leader Aleksander Lukashenko confirmed that Russia had upgraded Belarusian fighter jets for nuclear capability and transferred Iskander-M tactical missile systems, which can be used with conventional or nuclear warheads.

Poland emphasized that its armed forces remain fully prepared. “Armed Forces are constantly monitoring all military activities by neighboring countries and are prepared to respond appropriately to any possible security threats arising from such activities,” the Polish ministry spokesperson said.

Today, CSTO 🇷🇺🇰🇿🇰🇬🇹🇯🇸🇷 military exercises started in Belarus. Chief of the General Staff, Gen. Muraveiko, stated that planning for the use of nuclear weapons is included in CSTO drills and “Zapad-2025.” The issue is not the exercises themselves, but the military plans behind… pic.twitter.com/HoW7goaFOe

— Pavel Latushka (@PavelLatushka) August 31, 2025