Servicemen of the Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District (CMD) have arrived in the Republic of Belarus to take part in the command-and-staff exercise with the CSTO Peacekeeping Forces “Indestructible Brotherhood-2026” and the special exercise with the CSTO joint NBC protection and medical support formation “Barrier-2026”.
On October 7, 2026, the Fourth Counter-Terrorism Forum opened in Minsk (Republic of Belarus), bringing together the CIS Conference on Countering Terrorism and Extremism, the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure international scientific and practical conference, and joint counter-terrorism exercises.
October 7 marks the 24th anniversary of the signing of the Charter of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which formalized the establishment of the CSTO as an international regional organization. The goals set out in the document, including strengthening peace and stability and collectively protecting the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the member states, remain the foundation for developing mutually beneficial, truly allied cooperation. On this basis, the Russian Federation is chairing the CSTO in 2026 under the motto “Collective security in a multipolar world: a common goal, shared responsibility.”
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.
