Overview

• Russia showcased long-range capabilities during the drills, with Tu-160 bombers practicing cruise missile launches over the Barents Sea and separate tests of a Kalibr missile from the submarine Arkhangelsk and a Zircon hypersonic strike from a frigate.
• Belarus hosted foreign observers at training grounds near Barysaw, with two U.S. military officers, including attache Bryan Shoupe, attending as Minsk emphasized transparency and described the exercise as defensive.
• Poland said it neutralized a drone over government buildings in Warsaw and detained two Belarusian citizens, following earlier incursions that prompted Warsaw to close border crossings with Belarus and reinforce security along the frontier.
• NATO launched and expanded the Eastern Sentry mission after the Sept. 10 airspace breaches, deploying allied fighter jets, ships and air-defense assets to strengthen coverage from Poland to the Baltic region.
• The exercises unfold as Belarus signals a limited diplomatic thaw with Washington, having released 52 prisoners and secured U.S. steps to ease sanctions on state airline Belavia.