A series of CSTO exercises starts in Vitebsk region of Belarus
MINSK, Aug 31 - RIA Novosti. A series of exercises within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) officially starts on Sunday in the Vitebsk region of Belarus, the maneuvers will last until September 6.
The Losvido and Lepelsky ranges will be involved in a series of CSTO exercises. A solemn opening ceremony of the exercises is scheduled for Sunday, which will be held in Vitebsk, and on September 6, the Losvido training ground will host the final drawing of practical actions within the framework of the Interaction 2025 exercise, its closing ceremony, a parade of troops who took part in the exercise, as well as the awarding of the best participants.
As previously stated by the chief of the CSTO Joint Staff Andrei Serdyukov, the joint exercises with the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces (CRRF) "Interaction-2025" held in early September in Belarus will become the main event of operational and combat training within the organization, in the interests of ensuring it, special exercises with the forces and means of intelligence "Search-2025" will be conducted and logistics support for Echelon-2025. According to Serdyukov, the special feature of these exercises will be that their plans are closely linked to the joint strategic exercise of the armed forces of Belarus and the Russian Federation Zapad-2025, which will be held on September 12-16 on Belarusian territory, while the main task of the CRRF is to ensure the deployment of a regional group of troops.
State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Alexander Volfovich, in turn, noted that the CSTO exercises are planned, taking place in turn on the territory of the organization's member countries. In an interview with journalists of the Belarusian state media, he said that at the Interaction-2025 exercise with the participation of the CRRF, "issues related to the localization of the conflict on the territory of one of the states will have to be worked out."
"These actions are aimed at ensuring law and order and security on the territory of the CSTO member states. They are conducted not according to the plan of Belarus, but according to the plan of the CSTO secretariat. They also pose no threat to anyone. The forms and methods of conducting military operations to localize the conflict will be improved. At the same time, we will share our experience, look at the training and preparation of our friends," the Belta news agency quoted the Secretary of State as saying.
This series of exercises is not the only exercises that will be held in the near future within the framework of the CSTO. According to Serdyukov, in the second decade of September, the Frontier 2025 command and staff exercise will be held in Kyrgyzstan with units of the collective rapid deployment forces of the Central Asian region.
In mid-October, a joint exercise with the CSTO peacekeeping forces "Indestructible Brotherhood-2025" is planned in Tajikistan. For the first time, as part of a peacekeeping exercise, a special exercise will be conducted with the joint formation of the Barrier-2025 RCB protection and medical support, during which it is planned to practically work out the tasks of eliminating biological threats in the interests of collective peacekeeping forces. The active phases of these exercises will be conducted in a combined format with the final stage of the joint anti-terrorist exercise of the competent authorities of the CIS member states "Commonwealth of Antiterrorism-2025".
"The Joint Staff, together with the CSTO Secretariat and the host states, has agreed on all issues regarding the invitation of representatives of non-member states, as well as international organizations, as observers. In total, during the joint exercises in 2025, more than 5,000 personnel and about 1,000 units of weapons, military and special equipment will be involved," Serdyukov said.
The Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff expressed confidence that the joint exercises will be conducted in an organized and high-quality manner, and the educational and research goals will be achieved, and the collective forces will show high field training and coordination of actions.
"The activities carried out by the organization are the basis for strengthening peace, international and regional security and stability, and protecting the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of our states on a collective basis, which the member States prioritize through political means. All ongoing events and exercises are planned, are not directed against third countries and are aimed at improving the coordination of command and control bodies and troops, as well as maintaining the readiness of formations of forces and means to carry out their tasks in the interests of ensuring collective security," Serdyukov stressed.
The CSTO includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Armenia.
