(FILES) This handout picture made available by the Russian Defence Ministry on September 13, 2021 shows the "Zapad-2021" joint military drills of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus at the Mulino army base in the Nizhny Novgorod region, some 350 kilometers east of Moscow. Russia and Belarus started joint major military drills on September 12, 2025, days after neighbouring Poland accused Moscow of escalating tensions with NATO by deliberately violating its airspace with unprecedented number of drones. The Zapad-2025 ("West-2025") comes as Russia is mounting air attacks on Ukrainian cities and making slow advances across the sprawling front line and as Kyiv branded the drills as "definitely not defensive". - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Russian Defence Ministry / handout " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by Handout / RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Russian Defence Ministry / handout " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS