On July 15, 2026, the High-Level Regional Meeting “Enhancing Capacities to Prevent the Supply of Weapons to Terrorists in Central Asia” was held in Moscow, organized by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism with the participation of the Russian side.
On July 14, 2026, a working meeting was held at the CSTO Secretariat between CSTO Deputy Secretary General Valery Semerikov and UN Assistant Secretary-General Alexander Zuev.
From July 7 to 9, second staff talks were held in the Russian Federation on the organization and conduct of the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Forces (CRRF) command-and-staff exercise “Interaction-2026”, the special reconnaissance exercise “Poisk-2026”, and the logistics support exercise “Echelon-2026”.
In accordance with the 2026 Action Plan of the Coordinating Council of Heads of the Competent Authorities for Countering Illicit Drug Trafficking of the CSTO Member States, and as part of the Russian Federation's priorities during its 2026 CSTO Chairmanship, the sub-regional counter-narcotics operation “Kanal – Amber Coast” was conducted from June 29 to July 3, 2026. The operation was aimed at disrupting trafficking routes for narcotic drugs, their precursors and analogues, new psychoactive substances, and potent substances into the CSTO area of responsibility, neutralizing international transnational drug trafficking groups, dismantling clandestine drug production facilities, undermining the economic foundations of the drug trade, including the laundering of drug proceeds.
Delegation of the CSTO participates in the 12th Southern Information Security Forum “Infoforum Sochi 2026”
01.07.2026
The 12th Southern Information Security Forum “Infoforum Sochi 2026” is taking place in Sochi, Russia, from June 30 to July 3. On July 1, the Forum's plenary session brought together representatives of federal and regional authorities, regulatory bodies, leading companies, and international organizations to discuss current challenges in the protection of critical infrastructure, the development of artificial intelligence, and international cooperation.
A delegation of the CSTO Secretariat is participating in the Forum, comprising Sergey Koshelev, Deputy Head of the Political Cooperation Department, and Alexander Kuznetsov, Adviser to the Department for Countering Challenges and Threats.
CSTO Secretary General Talatbek Masadykov sent a message of greetings to the Forum participants. In his address, he emphasized that “Cybersecurity is becoming an integral part of national defense. It is essential to establish joint response mechanisms, develop a common standard for the protection of critical information infrastructure, and introduce shared training programs.” The CSTO called on its member states to further consolidate their efforts in the digital domain to effectively counter contemporary threats.
At the plenary session, Alexey Ivanov, Chairman of the Working Group on Information Security under the CSTO Committee of Security Council Secretaries and Deputy Director of Russia's National Coordination Center for Computer Incidents, delivered a presentation. He focused on the growing number of cyberattacks, the need to protect supply chains, and significant changes to the regulatory framework, including new federal laws, Presidential decrees, and nearly ten orders issued by the Federal Security Service of Russia in 2026.
Alexey Ivanov also highlighted the ongoing development of the State System for Detecting, Preventing and Eliminating the Consequences of Computer Attacks (GosSOPKA) and outlined a new paradigm in which information security should no longer be viewed merely as a formal protective function, but as the foundation of state governance and cyber resilience. According to this approach, the ultimate objective is to create a verifiable and reproducible environment capable of maintaining effective governance even under external or internal disruptions.
