Belarus Conducts Four-Day Exercises Near the Suwałki Corridor: What Is Known About the Maneuvers Close to NATO Borders

Four-day military exercises have begun in Belarus, taking place in close proximity to the borders with Poland and Lithuania. According to RBC-Ukraine, citing The Moscow Times, the maneuvers run from September 15 to 18 and cover several training ranges, including those located near the strategically important Suwałki Corridor. Units of the Western Operational Command have been drawn into the exercises, including mechanized and tank battalions. As of the time of publication, on September 17, the maneuvers are on the third of four days.

Scale and Geography of the Maneuvers

Practical troop actions are concentrated on several sites. The key one is the Goha range in the Grodno Region, located directly on the border with Lithuania. In addition, the military are training at the Brest and Ruzhany ranges, which, according to the report, are located approximately 15 and 60 kilometers from the Polish border, respectively. Part of the maneuvers is taking place near the Suwałki Corridor — a section of the Polish-Lithuanian border about 104 km long, which is the only land link between the Baltic states and the rest of NATO territory and lies between Belarus and the Russian Kaliningrad Region.

Objectives and Stated Nature of the Exercises

According to the Belarusian Ministry of Defense, during the maneuvers the servicemen are practicing the protection of the state border, countermeasures against sabotage groups, as well as actions to repel attacks by drones and light aircraft. The ministry emphasizes that the exercises are of an "exclusively defensive" character. At the same time, Minsk asserts that the number of troops and equipment involved does not exceed the threshold values set by the 2011 Vienna Document, above which prior notification to other states is required.

Contradictory Data

A significant discrepancy is noted here. On the one hand, the Belarusian ministry claims a strictly defensive character of the maneuvers and compliance with the thresholds of the 2011 Vienna Document. On the other hand, Minsk does not disclose the exact number of military personnel and equipment units involved in the exercises, which makes it impossible to independently verify compliance with the stated thresholds. Thus, the public version of "not exceeding the limits" rests solely on the statement of the side conducting the maneuvers and is not supported by open data on the size and composition of the forces.

Strategic Context and Background

The exercises are taking place against the backdrop of heightened attention to the security of NATO's eastern flank and the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine. In recent years, Belarus has regularly conducted military maneuvers near the borders of NATO countries, with Russian servicemen often taking part in previous exercises. Earlier, Alexander Lukashenko stated that preparations were underway for a large-scale check of the combat readiness of the armed forces, which could involve the entire army and provide for mobilization measures, noting: "I have already said it in plain terms: the army needs to be shaken up, it's time." According to reports, on August 26 the head of state ordered a check of the combat readiness of the Belarusian army; as Alexander Volkovich, Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus, reported, one of the reasons cited in Minsk for this decision was the visit to Moscow by the Director of the U.S. CIA, John Ratcliffe.