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.
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.
On June 30 – July 1, 2026, Saint Petersburg hosted a series of events chaired by Alexander Kurenkov, Minister of the Russian Federation for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters, with the participation of heads of the competent authorities of the CSTO member states responsible for emergency prevention and response.
From June 24 to 26, 2026, CSTO Secretary General Talatbek Masadykov paid a working visit to the Republic of Tajikistan at the personal invitation of President Emomali Rahmon.
Issues related to the joint formation of NBC protection and medical support for the CSTO during the special training “Barrier-2026” were discussed
10.03.2026
A working meeting chaired by Lieutenant General Anatoly Yakovlev, Head of the CSTO Troop Deployment Planning Department (Collective Forces), was held with the participation of representatives of the defense ministries of the Republic of Belarus (via videoconferencing), the Russian Federation, and the CSTO Joint Staff.
During the event, issues related to the preparation and conduct of the special training “Barrier-2026”, which is scheduled for October in the Republic of Belarus, the implementation of priorities for expanding cooperation in the field of military medicine and protection against biological threats, announced by the President of the Russian Federation for the period of the Organization's chairmanship in 2026, as well as the organization of research work during the special training with a unique formation.
The joint formation of NBC protection and medical support for the CSTO was created in 2022, taking into account the experience of the Russian Ministry of Defense in involving military medics and chemists in measures to combat the pandemic caused by the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus infection, both in the Russian Federation and in providing assistance to other states.
If necessary, the formation may be deployed on the territory of one of the member states of the Organization in order to ensure the protection of the CSTO Troops (Collective Forces) and to create safe medical and biological conditions for their deployment and use, as well as to participate in ensuring a collective response in the event of a large-scale and rapid spread of dangerous infectious diseases. The joint formation includes specialists from all CSTO member states, with the Russian Federation playing a leading role in its equipment and organization.
