Image Credentials: Image Title: NATO Intercepts Russian Fighter Jets in Unprecedented Estonian Airspace Violation Source: (Sora.ChatGpt) Date: September 2025. Attribution: Created using AI-generated imagery (Sora.ChatGpt), this does not depict a real-world scene.
By Benjamin Foster | Staff Writer with Agencies
MINSK, BELARUS – In a display of tactical adaptability, Russian-made Sukhoi Su-25 attack aircraft have been filmed landing on highways and using a highway overpass as temporary shelter during ongoing joint military exercises between Belarus and Russia. The drills, which began this week, are designed to simulate combat operations in environments with limited or damaged infrastructure.
State television in Belarus broadcast footage showing the Su-25s—belonging to the Belarusian Air Force, performing takeoffs and landings on straight, flat segments of public roads. One particularly striking segment featured a jet taxiing beneath a highway overpass, using the structure as improvised cover.
Belarus Air Force Su-25 practicing highway take-offs and landings during "Zapad 2025" exercise. https://t.co/E3xNsvCzGK pic.twitter.com/JjReyVmrnn
— B-AREV (@trip_to_valkiri) September 17, 2025
These highway operations are intended to prepare pilots and ground crews for scenarios where traditional airbases may be compromised or unavailable. By practicing on long, straight roadways with minimal obstructions, military units enhance their ability to disperse aircraft and reduce their vulnerability to aerial detection or attack. The use of an overpass as shelter offers a tactical advantage, providing concealment from reconnaissance drones or surveillance satellites.
The Su-25, a dedicated close-air support aircraft known for its durability and ability to operate from rough airstrips, is well-suited to such exercises. Its ability to hide under bridges or within tree lines adds a layer of survivability in contested airspace.
Military analysts suggest that these drills reflect broader Russian and Belarusian efforts to integrate asymmetric tactics and improve operational flexibility along NATO’s eastern flank. The exercise underscores increasing military cooperation between Minsk and Moscow amid ongoing regional tensions.
The Belarusian Ministry of Defense has emphasized that the training is defensive in nature, though neighboring countries and NATO officials are likely to monitor these developments closely, given the potential implications for regional security and escalation scenarios.
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