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.”
Details of the CSTO exercises “Interaction-2026”, “Poisk-2026” and “Echelon-2026” discussed in the Russian Federation
09.07.2026
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”.
The staff talks were attended by representatives of the relevant ministries and agencies of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, as well as the CSTO Joint Staff and Secretariat.
During the talks, the participants refined and approved the exercise concepts, aligned with the objectives of the Russian Armed Forces strategic command-and-staff exercise “Center-2026”. They also agreed on command and control arrangements, the composition of participating headquarters and national contingents, the sequence of practical training activities, and issues related to comprehensive logistical support.
A reconnaissance of the exercise areas at the Chebarkul training ground, where the exercises are scheduled to take place in September and October this year, was also conducted.
The CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Forces are intended to provide a rapid response to security challenges and threats facing the CSTO member states. The CRRF include mobile formations and permanently ready military units of the armed forces of the CSTO member states, fully staffed and equipped with modern, interoperable weapons and military (special) equipment. They also include special operations units from the internal affairs (police) bodies, security agencies and special services, as well as units of the competent authorities responsible for emergency prevention and response.
Photo: Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation.
