Military Exercises Begin in Lithuania Near Border With Belarus

From August 11 to 22, Lithuania will conduct tactical military exercises, Aršus vilkas 2025 (Fierce Wolf 2025), in the border region with Belarus.

According to Delfi, the exercises will take place in the Varėna district and at the Gaižiūnai Training Area. The event is being organized by the Infantry Battalion of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Algirdas Infantry Brigade ‘Iron Wolf.’

Approximately 350 soldiers and 50 units of equipment are expected to participate in the exercises.

During the first week of the exercises, infantry companies and the battalion headquarters will relocate to the Varėna district. There, they will practice defensive operations in populated areas using Vilkas infantry fighting vehicles and other battalion combat equipment.

In the second week, the units will conduct live-fire drills at the Gaižiūnai Training Area at the company level.

Simulation ammunition and pyrotechnic charges will be used during the exercises. Additionally, military vehicles will be moving intensively along the roads of the Varėna district.

In September, a series of exercises will take place on the territory of Belarus under the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). These include the Interaction-2025 joint operational response forces exercise, the Search-2025 reconnaissance exercise, and the Echelon-2025 logistics support units drill.

Since the beginning of August, trains with Russian military personnel and equipment have been arriving in Belarus for participation in Zapad-2025 joint strategic military exercises, scheduled for September 2025.

These strategic military maneuvers are held regularly every two years, alternating between the territory of the Republic of Belarus and Russia.

The official goals are typically to practice joint defensive and offensive operations, improve the coordination of the armed forces, and test the readiness of the military for various operational scenarios. However, these exercises always raise concerns in neighboring countries due to the potential for unforeseen actions or incidents. Specifically, Zapad-2021 exercises were used to prepare for the Russian offensive on Kyiv and northern regions in 2022.

Currently, it is known that Russia is redeploying soldiers from at least four motorized rifle regiments. All of these units have combat experience from the war against Ukraine – in recent months, these units were involved in combat operations on the Lyman-Kupiansk sector of the front in Ukraine. However, even the full deployment of all four regiments will not be sufficient to open another front against Ukraine without the involvement of additional forces.