Russian Su-25 attack aircraft returned to their base airfield in Kyrgyzstan after participating in the exercises of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) "Interaction-2021" in Tajikistan. This was reported to journalists on Wednesday, October 27, by the press service of the Central Military District (CVO).
"A flight of Su-25 aircraft has been relocated from the Hissar airfield to the Russian military base in Kyrgyzstan after the completion of the joint exercise of the collective rapid reaction forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization," the statement said.
It is noted that during the exercises "Interaction-2021", the attack aircraft worked out the search and destruction of objects of a conditional enemy, and also provided fire support from the air to motorized rifle and tank units during the performance of combat training tasks in mountainous desert terrain.
In total, 4,000 servicemen took part in the Interaction-2021 exercises, which took place from October 18 to 23 near the border with Afghanistan, in addition, over 500 pieces of equipment were involved. The basis of the Russian military contingent consisted of units of the 201st military base (part of the Central Military District), including mountain motorized rifle, tank and artillery units.
The CSTO exercises took place against the background of the radical Taliban movement (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) coming to power in Afghanistan.
On September 16, during a speech at a session of the CSTO Collective Security Council via video link, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the situation in the CSTO area of responsibility is not only unstable, but also carries risks for the countries of the region.
He stressed that in the current conditions, the CSTO should be ready to use its defense and political potential to maintain stability on its territory.
The Russian leader also noted that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan led to a new crisis in the country and turned into a humanitarian catastrophe. He stressed that the forcible imposition of democratic values on any people is unacceptable.
The exercises of the CSTO "Rubezh-2021" took place in Kyrgyzstan from September 7 to 9, during which the destruction of illegal armed formations that invaded the territory of the state was practiced. The military contingents and operational groups of Russia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, as well as the joint staff and the CSTO secretariat took part in the exercise.
The situation in Afghanistan escalated in May 2021 after the start of the withdrawal of American troops who had been in the country since 2001. Members of the Taliban movement launched an offensive against major cities of the country and entered Kabul on August 15, announcing the end of the war.