85 years ago, the Great Patriotic War began. The war machine of Nazi Germany launched a treacherous attack against Soviet cities and villages and committed unprecedented atrocities against Soviet citizens. The peoples of the Soviet Union rose to defend their common Motherland and paid an enormous price for peace, freedom, and the right to live on their own land.
On June 17–18, 2026, CSTO Secretary General Talatbek Masadykov visited sections of the State Border of the Republic of Belarus with Poland and Lithuania.
On June 18, 2026, the 24th Meeting of the Interstate Commission for Military-Economic Cooperation of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (ICMEC CSTO) was held in Minsk on the sidelines of the 3rd International Security Industry Exhibition “National Security. Belarus 2026”. The meeting was chaired by Dmitry Stefanovich, Head of the Belarusian National Section of the ICMEC and Deputy Chairman of the State Authority for Military Industry of the Republic of Belarus.
On June 18, 2026, the 2nd Military-Economic Conference of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, entitled “Development of Cooperation among the Defense Industries (Military-Industrial Complexes) of the CSTO Member States: 20 Years of Practical Cooperation”, was held in Minsk on the sidelines of the 3rd International Security Industry Exhibition “National Security. Belarus 2026”. The event brought together representatives of relevant ministries, agencies, defense enterprises, and other institutions and organizations of the CSTO member states.
Comment by CSTO Secretary General Talatbek Masadykov on the 85th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War
22.06.2026
85 years ago, the Great Patriotic War began. The war machine of Nazi Germany launched a treacherous attack against Soviet cities and villages and committed unprecedented atrocities against Soviet citizens. The peoples of the Soviet Union rose to defend their common Motherland and paid an enormous price for peace, freedom, and the right to live on their own land.
In the CSTO member states, the memory of the soldiers, home-front workers, and civilians who lost their lives during the war years is held sacred.
Today, particular concern is caused by attempts to diminish the feat of the Soviet people, undermine historical memory, and falsify the outcomes of the Great Patriotic War in order to justify Nazism. It is our duty to convey the truth to future generations, explain the value of peace, and help prevent new tragedies.
