Media IQ, specially for Re:Baltica

“Let’s  hit Rzeszów just like Israel hits Doha!” wrote Kotsnews (@sashakots) Telegram channel owner, Komsomolskaya Pravda military correspondent Alexander Kots, on September 10. At least five other Russian military bloggers — the so-called “Z” channels — reshared it.

For the Belarusian regime, the “Zapad‑2025” exercises required a triple balancing act — to demonstrate loyalty to Moscow, to avoid frightening Belarusians with the specter of war, and to prevent escalation with neighboring NATO states Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.