CSTO Military Drills Begin in Russia – MoD
/ Go to the mediabankCollective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) drills. File photo
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Cooperation-2026 command-staff exercise involving the Collective Rapid Reaction Force of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), as well as the Search-2026 and Echelon-2026 special exercises, have kicked off at the Chebarkulsky training ground in Russia, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday. «CSTO exercises started at Chebarkulskiy training ground. Joint command post and special exercises of CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Forces Cooperation 2026, Search 2026 and Echelon 2026 were started in the Russian Federation,» the ministry said in a statement. The opening ceremony was attended by Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff Col. Gen. Andrei Serdyukov, CSTO Deputy Secretary General Mirlan Turgunbekov, as well as commanders of military contingents and invited officials. «Guided by our priorities, we are refining the command elements and formations of the Collective Forces, and their readiness for operations that replicate as closely as possible the real conditions of modern armed conflicts,» Serdyukov was quoted as saying by the ministry. Serdyukov further added that the Russian chairmanship in the CSTO focuses on building up the combat potential of the CSTO collective forces and equipping them with modern weapons, military and special equipment, including drones, reconnaissance systems and electronic warfare tools, as well as improving its air defense systems. The ministry added that the exercises are particularly relevant given the highly complex military and political situation in the world, the deterioration of international relations and the approach of zones of instability to the borders of CSTO member states.
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