On July 14, 2026, a working meeting was held at the CSTO Secretariat between CSTO Deputy Secretary General Valery Semerikov and UN Assistant Secretary-General Alexander Zuev.
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.
In Russia the “Echelon-2020” training with the assets of Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics of the CSTO CRRF has been completed
20.08.2020
On August 20, in the Astrakhan region at the 4th State Central cross-branch training ground "Kapustin Yar", the "Echelon-2020" special training with the assets of Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics of the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Forces of the has been completed.
In complex environments of the desert and steppe area at high air temperatures, the participants in the training successfully completed about 20 different introductory trainings. In the course of the training, the issues of deploying an Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics center, transporting military contingents, as well as organizing material and technical support in the interests of the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Forces upon a joint operation to localize a border armed conflict were worked out.
The uniform plain relief, thin herbaceous vegetation and dust rising during the movement of vehicles complicated the orientation and field camouflage.
At the “Kapustin Yar” training ground, the CSTO Collective Forces worked out practical actions for the protection and defense of command posts and units, worked out the issues of replenishing the ammunition consumption. The situation demanded to deploy in the field an area for mass refueling of equipment, an integrated area for the repair and restoration of equipment, a bath and laundry complex and a mobile bakery.
In conditions of a shortage of water sources, for the first time in the course of the “Echelon-2020” training, units of the Southern Military District deployed a point for keeping a reserve supply of drinking water, which allows them to dispense up to 30 cubic meters of water per hour, which provided the need for water for household and sanitary needs of the united group troops.
At the closing ceremony of the training, the head of the CSTO Joint Staff, Colonel-General Anatoly Sidorov, noted that in the course of the “Echelon-2020” training, new approaches were tested to improve the joint Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics system of the CSTO Troops (Collective Forces), and this direction was one of the priorities within the framework of the development of the military component of the Organization.
“The troops and forces involved have demonstrated a high level of coordination in matters of Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics support. Many elements of the integrated logistics area were deployed promptly and most of them were deployed in sunk pens. In the interests of the Collective Forces, a reserve supply of drinking water was created. Many other issues have been successfully worked out to ensure joint actions of the united groups of forces,” said the head of the CSTO Joint Staff.
The “Echelon-2020” training, conducted from 17 to 20 August under the charge of the Deputy Commander of the Southern Military District for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, Lieutenant General Viktor Voronov, was attended by servicemen of the Organization's member states and the operational group of the CSTO Joint Staff. In total, about one thousand servicemen and about 250 pieces of equipment were involved.
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The Joint Press Center for the CSTO "Echelon-2020" training
