During a recent briefing, the Chief of the Joint Staff of the CSTO, Colonel General Andrey Serdyukov, presented an ambitious plan for troop preparation for the current year. Given the unstable situation at the borders of the member states of the organization, the CSTO intends to significantly enhance its defense capabilities. According to Serdyukov, "the year 2025 has become a stage of increasing geopolitical tension and worsening situations in the CSTO regions, as zones of instability have begun to approach these countries." He identified the main threat: "Europe is actively militarizing, which is aimed at preparing for a potential conflict with Russia, including through the increase of coalition forces at the borders of the CSTO and the modernization of infrastructure."
It is planned that in 2026, when Russia will chair the CSTO, 60 events in the field of joint and operational training will take place, including eight major command-staff and special exercises. The general noted that the plan has already been approved, and the composition of national contingents of the Collective Forces and documents for their deployment are being finalized. The year will be key for implementing Vladimir Putin's strategy, titled: "Collective Security in a Multipolar World: A Common Goal - Shared Responsibility."
Among the priority tasks set by the President of Russia, Colonel General Serdyukov highlighted: "Increasing the combat potential of national contingents and equipping them with modern weapons; optimizing the processes of operational deployment of coalition forces; developing aviation and air defense components within the CSTO; improving the management of the groupings of the Collective Forces." As part of this strategy, in September 2026, exercises "Rubezh-2026" will be held in Kazakhstan, and in September-October, large maneuvers will take place in Russia: "Interaction-2026," "Search-2026," and "Echelon-2026," which will be integrated with the Russian strategic exercise "Center-2026."
Particular attention will be paid to the implementation of the latest technologies. As Andrey Serdyukov explained: "We expect these exercises to be large-scale, demonstrating the capabilities of modern and prospective Russian military equipment, which has already proven its effectiveness during the special military operation, including unmanned and robotic systems. To improve the management of the CSTO contingents during the preparation and execution of the exercises, practical training of all activities for creating a management system, taking into account the experience of the special operation, is planned."
The final stage of preparation will take place in Tajikistan (exercises "Cobalt-2026" and "Rock-2026") and Belarus (peacekeeping "Unbreakable Brotherhood-2026" and medical "Barrier-2026"). Colonel General Serdyukov concluded, expressing confidence in the success of the upcoming events: "I am convinced that all joint actions will be carried out at a high level in the interests of achieving the main goal - maintaining the readiness of the Collective Forces for adequate response to crises and fulfilling tasks for ensuring collective security. I am confident that organized joint efforts will successfully solve all the tasks set."
