The active phase of the CSTO trainings “Interaction-2025”, “Search-2025” and “Echelon-2025” has been completed in the Republic of Belarus

Сегодня на территории Республики Беларусь завершилась активная фаза совместного учения с Коллективными силами оперативного реагирования Today, the active phase of the joint training with the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Forces (CRRF) "Interaction-2025", special trainings "Search-2025" and "Echelon-2025" has been completed in the territory of the Republic of Belarus.

The coordinated actions of all components of the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Forces were demonstrated during the joint operation to participate in resolving the crisis situation on the territory of the CSTO member state in the Eastern European region.

The final stage and closing ceremony of the trainings were attended by Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Imangali Tasmagambetov, Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Hero of the Russian Federation Army General Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff Hero of the Russian Federation Colonel General Andrei Serdyukov, head of the training "Interaction-2025" – Commander of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces, Major General Vadim Denisenko, head of the “Echelon-2025” training, First Deputy Chief of the Rear of the Armed Forces, Chief of Staff of the Rear, Major General Alexander Mosolov.

The final stage was attended by the delegations of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, the Executive Committee and the Secretariat of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), observers from the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (as observers).

The Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus, Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin, speaking to the participants of the trainings, said: "A difficult military and political situation is developing near the borders of the CSTO: there are constant attempts of hybrid aggression against our states, and the heated conflict in Ukraine, fueled by the West, continues.

Effective counteraction to all these threats and ensuring security in the CSTO region is possible only through the joint efforts of its members, just as representatives of our peoples defeated fascism together 80 years ago. That is why we strengthen cooperation within the organization and improve the interaction of forces during their joint training. The completed trainings made it possible to increase the coherence of military command and control bodies and units during the performance of tasks.

The servicemen participating in it received good practice and demonstrated a high level of military skill. The trainings clearly demonstrated the readiness and ability of the CSTO to respond to any threats to our organization, no matter where they come from.

Dear comrades, I am sure that your stay on the Belarusian soil, touching our united heroic history have left a mark on your soul. Congratulations on the successful completion of the training. I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude for the exemplary performance of the tasks set, for your high level of training and professionalism shown in completing the tasks. I wish you further success in your military work with the aim of reliably ensuring the security of our states and the peaceful work of our peoples."

The Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Imangali Tasmagambetov, speaking at the ceremony, said: "The trainings have shown an increased level of readiness of the Organization's Collective Forces to respond in a timely and adequate manner to emerging challenges and threats to the collective and national security of our states. The governing bodies gained additional experience in organizing work on the use of CSTO Collective Forces in a joint operation in the Eastern European region of collective security.

According to the Secretary General, in today's world, using only the military component is not enough to successfully solve combat missions. "Modern crises are increasingly of a hybrid nature and require special approaches to resolve them. In the context of increasing conflict potential in a number of regions directly adjacent to the CSTO area of responsibility, the heads of our states are taking the necessary measures to improve mechanisms for ensuring military security on a collective basis and build capacity to counter the full range of modern challenges and threats," Tasmagambetov added.

"During the trainings, the combat experience of the armed forces of the CSTO member states was widely used and the issues of planning and using the forces and means of the collective security system in the preparation and conduct of joint operations were practically worked out. More than 2,000 military personnel and special forces personnel took part in the trainings. About 450 units of weapons and military equipment were involved," the Secretary General continued.

He also stressed that the commanders and staffs demonstrated high practical skills and abilities in managing units and subunits while performing their assigned tasks. "The personnel of the national contingents have shown a high level of cooperation and coherence, professionalism and combat effectiveness. All combat training tasks have been completed in full," Tasmagambetov concluded.

A joint training with the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces of the CSTO "Interaction-2025", aimed at working out the issues of preparing and conducting a joint operation to participate in resolving a crisis situation on the territory of a CSTO member state, a special training with forces and means of reconnaissance "Search-2025", a special training with forces and means logistics support “Echelon-2025” are being conducted on the territory of the Republic of Belarus.

Contingents of the CSTO Troops (Collective Forces) of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tajikistan are taking part in the trainings. Among them are military contingents, special forces formations from among the special units of the internal affairs bodies (police), security agencies and special services, authorized bodies in the field of emergency prevention and response, as well as operational groups of the Joint Staff and the CSTO Secretariat. In total, more than 2,000 military personnel and 450 units of weapons, military and special equipment are involved, including 9 combat aircraft and helicopters, over 70 different types of UAVs.

Joint Press Center of the CSTO trainings