During the “Conduct of combat operations” stage, two main training objectives are being practiced: the occupation by the national contingents of the CRDF CAR of the area of responsibility and the destruction of illegal armed formations that have invaded the territory of a CSTO member state.
The active phase of the joint exercise with the Collective Rapid Deployment Forces of the Central Asian Region (CRDF CAR) “Frontier-2026” has begun at the Koktal training range in the Republic of Kazakhstan. During the exercise, the participating forces are practicing the preparation and conduct of combat operations to destroy illegal armed formations that have invaded the territory of a CSTO member state.
On September 11, 2026, a round table entitled “Kazakhstan–Central Asia–Greater Eurasia: resilience and security amid new challenges” was held at the Center for Social Conservative Policy. The event was organized by the CSTO Secretariat jointly with the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ICCA RAS) and the Center for Social Conservative Policy (CSCP).
The event was attended by CSTO Secretary General Talatbek Masadykov, Director of the ICCA RAS Kirill Babaev, members of the CSTO Permanent Council and representatives of the academic and expert communities of the member states. The discussion was moderated by Yuri Shuvalov, Head of the Information and Public Relations Department of the CSTO Secretariat.
Regular meeting of the CSTO Council of Defense Ministers held in Moscow
03.06.2026
On June 3, 2026, a regular meeting of the CSTO Council of Defense Ministers (CDM) was held at the Patriot Central Park of the Russian Ministry of Defense under the chairmanship of the Russian side. The meeting was attended by CSTO Secretary General Talatbek Masadykov and Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff Andrey Serdyukov.
The event began with the heads of delegations laying flowers at the “Mothers of the Victors” monument.
The participants held a substantive exchange of views on issues related to strengthening military security in the CSTO area of responsibility.
During the discussion, Chairman of the CSTO Council of Defense Ministers and Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Andrey Belousov stated in particular: “At the initiative of the Russian Federation, draft decisions have been prepared aimed at improving the Organization’s forces and enhancing the joint training of personnel. In the current environment of global uncertainty and tension, their implementation will deepen our cooperation. The contemporary military-political situation requires joint efforts and coordinated actions by the defense ministries of the CSTO member states.”
CSTO Secretary General Talatbek Masadykov noted: “Analysis of the military-political situation indicates that the number of challenges and threats to the military security of the CSTO member states in Eurasia is increasing, reflecting a growing geopolitical confrontation. Against this backdrop, the main sources of these challenges and threats are the buildup of NATO military capabilities in Europe, the armed conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as the growth of conflict potential in Afghanistan and the increased activity of international terrorist and extremist organizations.”
A number of bilateral meetings were held on the sidelines of the session.
Following the meeting, several documents were adopted, including draft decisions of the CSTO Collective Security Council “On the Procedure for Forming Mobile Air Defense Units to Protect the Troops (Collective Forces) of the Collective Security Treaty Organization During Joint Military Operations” and “On the Development of the Collective Aviation Forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization,” as well as decisions of the CSTO Council of Defense Ministers “On the Introduction of New Specialties into the Military Training System of the Member States of the Collective Security Treaty Organization” and “On the Plan for Joint Training of Command and Control Bodies and Forces and Assets of the Collective Security System of the Collective Security Treaty Organization for 2027.”
