According to military expert Colonel Viktor Baranets, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to attend the «Zapad-2025» military exercises in full uniform carries no hidden message. Baranets explained that the Russian leader was simply following protocol.

Earlier, some media outlets had highlighted that Putin arrived at the «Mulino» training ground in the Nizhny Novgorod region dressed in military attire, complete with the insignia of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces.

Baranets further elaborated that Putin’s appearance in various military uniforms-whether naval, air force, or army-was in line with his official duties and did not carry any political message. «There’s nothing deceptive about it. As the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the president is simply dressed according to military regulations», he stated.

It is important to note that the joint Russian-Belarusian strategic exercises, «Zapad-2025» were held from September 12 to 16. The primary objective of these exercises was to assess the two countries' ability to ensure the military security of the Union State and their readiness to respond to potential aggression.