WANA (Sep 16) – State-run Russian media reported on Tuesday that Iran, India, and other Moscow allies from Asia and Africa joined the Russia-Belarus military exercise “Zapad-2025.”

 

According to the TASS news agency, citing the Kremlin, “The coalition force includes operational units and military groups from the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, the Republic of Belarus, and the Republic of India.”

 

Soldiers from Burkina Faso, Congo, and Mali also took part in the exercise.

Putin Appears in Military Uniform at Zapad-2025 Exercise. Social media / WANA News Agency  

 

“Zapad-2025” involved 333 aircraft and nearly 250 ships and vessels, with 25 foreign delegations, including Iran, Bangladesh, India, Burkina Faso, Congo, and Mali, in attendance.

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the exercise aims to train forces to defend the Russian-Belarusian Union State against any potential aggression.

 

The drills were conducted across 41 training grounds, involving 100,000 troops and approximately 10,000 military systems and equipment. All assets used in the exercise are modern and have been tested in actual combat operations. The exercise scenarios were developed based on lessons learned from the “special military operation.”