CSTO: News and Developments

Post-Soviet military bloc to get integral information space — official



The Collective Security Treaty Organization incorporates six countries - Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

MOSCOW, November 19. /TASS/. A common information space will be created for the countries affiliated with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (post-Soviet military bloc), the chief of the National Defense Control Centre, Mikhail Mizintsev, said on Thursday.

"Alongside the creation of the CSTO crisis response centre efforts are underway to form an integral information space in the interests of the CSTO member-states," he said.

Certain positive experience was accumulated in the course of last August’s military exercise codenamed Cooperation-2015.

At the CSTO summit in December 2014 Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the National Defense Control Centre would work for all CSTO member-states and enhance the controllability of national defense systems. Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said that Russia would provide assistance to the CSTO allies in creating equivalents of Russia’s defense control centre.

The National Defense Control Centre officially went operational on December 1, 2014. It allows for receiving on-line information about the current situation at every single military unit or facility across the nation. The centre’s data processing complex is capable of modelling situations along Russia’s perimeter borders and at any point around the globe. The overall capacity of the centre’s data processing system is thrice that of the US counterpart and exceeds the capacity of the Pentagon’s data base 20 times.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization incorporates six countries - Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The Collective security Treaty Organization was concluded in 2002.

Kyrgyzstan to brief CSTO on situation on border with Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan has unilaterally closed the Madaniyat highway checkpoint on the border with Kyrgyzstan

BISHKEK, March 22. /TASS/. Kyrgyzstan will submit the issue of the situation on a section of its border with Uzbekistan for consideration by the Permanent Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a source in the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry told TASS on Tuesday.

"The organization’s member-countries will be informed about the situation on the border during an extraordinary meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council," the ministry said, adding that the meeting would be held in the Russian capital on Tuesday.

Uzbekistan deployed two armored personnel carriers and 40 troops to the disputed border section in the Chalasart area on Friday and unilaterally closed the Madaniyat highway checkpoint on the border with Kyrgyzstan and imposed restrictions on Kyrgyz citizens’ entry at the Dostuk highway checkpoint. In response to this, the Kyrgyz side sent two armored personnel carriers and special force troops to this area and stopped the passage of Uzbek citizens and their vehicles at the Baimak, Ken-Sai and Kadamjai highway checkpoints. After that, only one checkpoint — Kyzyl-Kiya used for the passage of the residents of the Sokh and Shakhimardan enclaves — remained open on the border between the two countries. The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry fiiled a note of protest to Tashkent on March 18, demanding to remove the roadblocks in the disputed area.

On Sunday, the parties agreed to reduce the number of troops on this border section to eight people.

The CSTO comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.


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http://tass.ru/en/world/864120

Secretary General of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Nikolay Bordyuzha, discussed the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandyan and Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan in a telephone call on Sunday, according to the organization's press secretary Vladimir Zaynetdinov.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/world/20160403/1037406701/security-treaty-organization-karabakh-conflict-amrenia-defense-foreign-minitstry.html#ixzz44lAQfiZD

The country’s parliament unveiled a new military doctrine that would see Belarus shirk on its military obligations to the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160419/1038229199/belarus-armenia-russia-csto-nato.html#ixzz46EqvuIVI

EDELVEIS PRACTICE RANGE (Kyrgyzstan), October 7. /TASS/. Troops from the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) routed a large formation of notional militants in the Toguz-Bulak gorge at the final stage of the Rubezh-2016 drills in Kyrgyzstan, spokesman for Russia’s Central Military District Yaroslav Roshchupkin said on Friday.

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http://tass.com/defense/904809

Post-Soviet security bloc to hold drills in three member states in 2017

The Collective Security Treaty Organization plans to hold large-scale collective forces’ drills 'Combat Brotherhood' on the territory of Armenia, Kazakhstan and Russia in October 2017

EDELVEIS PRACTICE RANGE (Kyrgyzstan), October 7. /TASS/. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) plans to hold large-scale collective forces’ drills dubbed Combat Brotherhood on the territory of Armenia, Kazakhstan and Russia in October 2017, Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff Colonel-General Anatoly Sidorov said on Friday.


"This year, four CSTO exercises have been held on the territory of various states and at different time. Next year, we’re planning to unite the maneuvers and hold them under a single scenario simultaneously with all the components of the CSTO collective forces. So far, the name Combat Brotherhood has been proposed for the drills," Sidorov said.

The CSTO’s unified drills will be held in October 2017. "That is, we won’t hold drills separately in April, August, September and October as was the case this year and in October 2017 we’ll practice joint measures within a short period of time on the territory of three states: Russia, Armenia and Kazakhstan. This will be more efficient to optimize the joint system of the CSTO collective forces’ control," he said.

"The drills will approximately last three weeks and a counter-terror operation will be devised under a single scenario: first reconnaissance, then the use of the rapid response collective forces with the support of aviation and then the post-conflict settlement with the employment of peace-keeping forces. This will be an experiment," the colonel-general said.

The CSTO rapid response collective forces comprise over 17,000 servicemen from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. These troops allow adequately responding to all existing challenges and threats - to counter terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking. The CSTO peacekeeping forces comprise about 3,600 servicemen.

The CSTO’s joint tactical maneuvers Rubezh-2016 have ended on the territory of Kyrgyzstan on Friday. The drills involved over 1,000 troops from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. No more exercises of the CSTO collective forces are planned this year.

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http://tass.com/defense/904819

MINSK, April 19. /TASS/. The Central Asian region will be incorporated into the unified system of air defense and anti-missile defense of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), an alliance of six former Soviet republics, Russian General Staff’s Chief, Army General Valery Gerasimov told reporters on Wednesday after a meeting of the CSTO defense council.

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http://tass.com/defense/942135

Dmitry Shugaev, the head of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), stated that Russia will continue defense products supplies to Belarus, Armenia and Kazakhstan in 2017.

https://sputniknews.com/military/201705211053836296-russia-csto-supply/

Post-Soviet military bloc's collective force to hold exercises in four countries 2018

The exercises will be held in Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan

MINSK, June 13. /TASS/. The collective force of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in 2018 will conduct joint exercises in the territories of Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, CSTO Secretary-General Yuri Khachaturov said in the wake of Tuesday’s meeting of the CSTO defense ministers in Minsk.

"In accordance with the plan for joint training of the CSTO collective force’s command and control bodies an exercise codenamed Interaction (Vzaimodeistviye) will be held in Kyrgyzstan," Khachaturov said.

A peace-keeping force exercise Unbreakable Brotherhood is to be conducted in Russia, rapid deployment force Frontier (Rubezh) exercise, in Tajikistan, reconnaissance force exercise Search (Poisk), in Kazakhstan and CSTO collective air force exercise, in Russia," Khachaturov said.

This year such exercises will take place in Armenia, Kazakhstan and Russia in October.
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http://tass.com/defense/951036

CSTO Police Special Forces Drills Kick Off in Armenia

The CSTO member states' special forces have launched three-day military drills in Armenia, the CSTO press service said in a statement on Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states' special forces assigned to the organization's joint Collective Rapid Reaction Force (KSOR) have launched three-day drills in Armenia, the CSTO press service said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Training with the heads of CSTO member states’ interior ministries (police) special units, allocated to the organization’s Collective Rapid Reaction Force, was launched on July 11 under the supervision of CSTO Deputy Secretary General Valery Semerikov,” the statement said.

According to the statement, police officers from Russia, Armenia, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan, as well as national guard officers from Russia and Kazakhstan, are taking part.

The drills, providing the participants with the opportunity to work on special operations scenarios and exchange experience in training methods, are set to last for three days on the base of the Police Educational Complex of the Republic of Armenia.

The CSTO added that the training session is aimed at enhancing professionalism of police chiefs, as well as at boosting the potential of KSOR special forces units.

The CSTO was established on the basis of the Collective Security Treaty, signed by the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member states on May 15, 1992. Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan are the current CSTO members. Former member state Uzbekistan announced the suspension of its CSTO membership in 2012.

https://sputniknews.com/military/201707111055434564-csto-training-armenia-forces/

Post-Soviet security bloc to hold exercises in Armenia, Russia and Kazakhstan

These are planned events unrelated to the current international situation,CSTO deputy secretary general said

KRASNOARMEISK /Moscow region/, September 14. /TASS/. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is beginning its Grom military exercises on Thursday to be followed by the Poisk and Vzaimodeistviye drills, CSTO Deputy Secretary General Valery Semerikov told reporters.

"We are opening a series of our exercises today within the Collective Security Treaty Organization with the Grom drills. In early October, we will hold the Poisk exercises where our reconnaissance units will accomplish their missions. In Armenia, we will hold the Vzaimodeistviye exercises with the Collective Rapid Reaction Force on October 10-13. We will complete this cycle with the military drills in Kazakhstan," he said.

Semerikov stressed that these exercises are planned. "You are aware of the fuss around the Zapad-2017 exercises. However, these are planned drills. They were endorsed last year in the joint operations plan. These are planned events unrelated to the current international situation," he said.

The press service of the Southern Military District earlier reported that the Poisk-2017 exercises involving the forces of the CSTO member-countries will be held in the North Caucasus.


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http://tass.com/defense/965600

Some 12,000 troops to take part in post-Soviet security bloc’s drills

The drills will be held on October 3-20, in Russia, Armenia and Kazakhstan, and in November in Tajikistan

MOSCOW, September 26. /TASS/. Nearly 12,000 troops from member-states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a post-Soviet security bloc, will take part in the Combat Brotherhood-2017 exercises, CSTO Joint Staff Chief Colonel-General Anatoly Sidorov told reporters on Tuesday.

"The drills will involve some 12,000 military, around 1,500 pieces of military and special equipment and some 90 aircraft," the general said, noting that contingents from the Russian Armed Forces, the Interior Ministry, the Emergencies Ministry and the National Guard (Rosgvardiya) will take part.

The maneuvers will be held on October 3-20, 2017 in Russia, Armenia and Kazakhstan, and in November in Tajikistan.

Headquartered in Moscow, the CSTO, formed in 2002, is a regional security group comprising six post-Soviet countries - Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Armenia.


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http://tass.com/defense/967546

‘Search 2017’ international drills for post-Soviet military bloc kick off in Russia

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http://tass.com/defense/968606

Does anyone know the Russian units of Collective Rapid Reaction Force (KSOR)?

Here says one of them is 22nd Brigade of Spetsnaz GRU:
https://twitter.com/Russian_Defence/status/917534689765752833

In wiki (not reliable source) i have read those two:
98th Guards Airborne Division (Ivanovo)
31st Guards Air Assault Brigade (Ulyanovsk)

Joint Staff of Collective Security Treaty Organisation is 15 years of age

The 15th anniversary of foundation of the Joint Staff of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation is celebrated on 28 April 2018.

The CSTO Joint Staff, being a permanent working body of the Organisation, is responsible for drafting proposals relating to the military component of the CSTO.

The CSTO Joint Staff is tasked with the formation, operation and employment of the CSTO Collective Forces (Troops), the preparation and holding jointly with the defence departments of the Organization member states of joint operational and combat training events, military technical cooperation, coordination of joint training of personnel and specialists for the Armed Forces of the CSTO member states.

The CSTO Joint Staff made a great contribution to the development of normative legal documents aimed at creating and developing all components of the collective security system.

For 15 years, the CSTO Joint Staff has played an organizational and coordinating role in forming the Collective Rapid Reaction Force (CRRF), Collective Rapid Deployment Force (CRDF), Peacekeeping Force (PKF) and Collective Aviation Force (CAF). The total strength of the multilateral CSTO Collective forces is over 26,000 servicemen.

Since 1 January 2018, the CSTO Joint Staff has been operating with the new staff list. The principle of coalition guidance has been implemented. The Chief of the Joint Staff is appointed from the Russian Federation. Three Deputy Chiefs of the Joint Staff and two Chiefs of its Directorates are appointed from the Republic of Armenia, Republic of Belarus, Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic and Republic of Tajikistan. The new staff list includes specialists of the Arms and Special Troops, including the Aviation, Air Defence, Reconnaissance, Signal Communications, RChBD, Engineer Troops, EW and Topographic Services.

The CSTO Crisis Response Centre has become a new structural unit of the Joint Staff and an important element of the Organization’s collective security system. It is intended for organisational, information-analytical and information-technologial support of the CSTO statutory and working bodies in the interests of timely decision-making aimed at ensuring security, stability, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the CSTO member states within the framework of the crisis response.

The main annual event of operational and combat training of the CSTO Collective Forces is the joint operational-strategic exercise ‘Combat Brotherhood’. In the framework of this large-scale exercise, the territory of the Central Asian collective security area covering the territories of four states is planned to be used for conducting from September to November this year: the strategic command post training for the operational groups of ministries and departments of the CSTO member states, the tactical special exercise ‘Search- 2018’ with the forces and means of reconnaissance services and units of the CSTO member states, the command post exercise with the CSTO CAF ‘Air Bridge-2018’, the command post exercise ‘Cooperation 2018’ with the Command of the CSTO CRRF military contingents, the joint tactical exercise "Line-2018" with the CSTO CRDF units and the joint exercise ‘Inviolable Brotherhood-2018’ with the CSTO Peacekeeping Force.

In 2017, the joint operational-strategic exercise "Combat Brotherhood-2017’ involved about 12,000 troops, over 2,000 pieces of armaments, military and special equipment, and more than 140 aircraft.

http://eng.mil.ru/en/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12173294@egNews

Post-Soviet security bloc to hold military drills in Tajikistan

The Harbmaydon range is located 15 km from the Tajik-Afghan border

MOSCOW, August 8. /TASS/. /TASS/. Joint tactical exercises by the rapid reaction forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Rubezh (Boundary)-2018, will be held in late October at a mountainous firing range in Tajikistan, the Central Military District's press service said.

"The Central Military District’s delegation is taking part in the second round of talks between the staff in Dushanbe on preparing to hold the Rubezh-2018 drills. The talks involve representatives of the CSTO allied staff, delegations of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan," the press service said.

The Harbmaydon range is located 15 km from the Tajik-Afghan border. Russia will be represented by the Central Military District at the exercises.

At the talks the sides will discuss a tentative plan of the drills, support issues and will examine the area and infrastructure where the upcoming exercises will be held. "The talks between the staff will end on August 9 with the signing of a final protocol by the delegations’ heads," it said.

In 2016, the Rubezh drills were held in the mountainous areas of another Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan. More than 1,000 troops of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia took part in the maneuvers.


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http://tass.com/defense/1016403

CSTO CAF Air Bridge to tale place in Ural



The Air Bridge Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) command post exercise (CPX) is to take place in Sverdlovsk region for the first time. CSTO CAF drills take place in vicinity of Ekaterinburg in early October. Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan will participate in the maneuvers.

Troops will organize and manage airlift control system in Central Asian region. The Koltsovo air field is planned to be the main site in Ekaterinburg. The Air Bridge drills will involve transport aviation of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia.

Troops of the Central Military District shall represent Russia at the Air Bridge CSTO CPX.

During the year, aircraft of the Central Military District participate in 100 flight tactical and air defence exercises, and take part in such international maneuvers as Peace Mission 2018, Issyk-Kul Anti-Terror 2018, Rubezh 2018, and Poisk 2018.

http://eng.mil.ru/en/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12190718@egNews

Post-Soviet bloc’s first-ever Air Bridge-2018 drills kick off in Russia

At the joint command center in Yekaterinburg the CSTO air forces’ representatives will practice joint operations to control the air traffic of the bloc's member-states

YEKATERINBURG, October 1. /TASS/. The Collective Security Organization’s first-ever joint air exercise Vozdushny Most-2018 (Air Bridge-2018) has begun in Yekaterinburg. It will be held in the Central Military District till October 14, with the CSTO member-states - Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan - taking part.

"We are holding the Air Bridge-2018 exercise for the first time. The CSTO member states’ transport planes will airlift large mobile contingents. A total of 3,500 troops and 620 pieces of military equipment will be transported," the Central Military District’s commander, Lieutenant-General Alexander Lapin, said at the opening ceremony.

A unified system of control to command CSTO air force and air defense groups had been created with reliance on integrated and combined automated control systems, such as Polyana-D4M1 and Bastion.

At the joint command center in Yekaterinburg the CSTO air forces’ representatives will practice joint operations to control the air traffic of CSTO member-states, airlift troop contingents and materiel to the sites of combat training missions in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Russia. As the Central Military District’s press-service said, the command center will have a staff of 140.

"I would like to point out that this exercise is being held within the framework of another one, Boyevoye Bratstvo-2018 (Combat Brotherhood-2018), underway in the Central Asian Region. Before, such exercises never involved the air component. This time transport planes will be used - Ilyushin-76, C-295 and Antonov-26," the deputy chief of the CSTO unified command, Lieutenant-General Nurlan Ormanbetov, said on Monday.


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http://tass.com/defense/1023791

Interaction 2018 CSTO command post exercise kicks off in Kyrgyzstan

http://eng.mil.ru/en/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12199227@egNews

All CSTO-countries adopt joint plane at exercises in Kyrgyzstan



All the states of the CSTO took part in joint planning of the Interaction 2018 exercises on October 10-13 in Kyrgyzstan. It was announced by Commander of the Central Military District General Lieutenant Alexander Lapin who supervises the drills.

“At the Edelweiss test site, a district control center was deployed, which is the basis of the Interaction 2018 drills”. For the first time since the signing of the Plan for the use of a joint group of troops of the armed forces of Russia and Kyrgyzstan in 2017 with the participation of all the CSTO member states, we are conducting joint planning for the use of military contingents from six countries. In the Central Asian strategic direction, I am entitled to supervise the management of the grouping of troops,” Lieutenant General Alexander Lapin said.

More than 1,600,000 military personnel from six countries - Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan - are involved in the Interaction 2018 exercises, as well as more than 250 pieces of military hardware, including 30 aircraft. .

Russia is represented by a separate motorized rifle brigade deployed in Tuva, the Airborne Troops and special forces, as well as short-range and army aviation, which was deployed to Kyrgyzstan from Siberia and the Urals.

http://eng.mil.ru/en/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12199233@egNews

Servicemen from five states arrive in Urals for Unbreakable Brotherhood-2018 drills

Unbreakable Brotherhood-2018, a joint peacekeeping exercise with peacekeeping forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, will be held between October 30 and November 2

MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/. Servicemen from five member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) have arrived in Russia’s Urals city of Yekaterinburg to take part in joint peacekeeping drills, Unbreakable Brotherhood-2018, the Russian Central Military District’s press service said.

"Il-76 transport planes of the Central Military District have transported personnel from the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Kyrgyzstan and the Republic of Tajikistan. In total, about 300 foreign servicemen have arrived to take part in the drills," the press service said.

Unbreakable Brotherhood-2018, a joint peacekeeping exercise with peacekeeping forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, will be held between October 30 and November 2 in the Sverdlovsk region. The overall number of participants is estimated at 1,300 people. The drills will also involve 300 pieces of military hardware and 20 various aircraft.


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http://tass.com/defense/1028205

Three CSTO military exercises scheduled for 2020 in Armenia

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http://tass.com/defense/1043978

Chief of Russian General Staff speak on participation of the Kazakhstan's military contingent in the Tsentr 2019 strategic exercise

Today, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia - First Deputy Minister of Defence, General of the Army Valery Gerasimov met with his Kazakhstan's counterpart in Moscow, Lieutenant General Murat Maykeev.

“This year we plan a number of important operational and combat training activities. The main one is the participation of the contingent of the Kazakhstan's Armed Forces in the Tsentr 2019 strategic post exercise, said Valery Gerasimov during a conversation with Murat Maykeev.

According to Valery Gerasimov, Kazakhstan is the main strategic ally and the closest partner of Russia in Central Asia. At the same time, there is successful cooperation not only on a bilateral basis, but also at the sites of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

"We are improving our unified regional air defence system, joint planning of the use of the armed forces of Russia and Kazakhstan is carried out. We are also actively involved in military-technical cooperation in the field of military personnel training. In addition, the traditionally good exchange of delegations in various areas of the armed forces is organized, ”the Chief of the General Staff of Russia added.

“A wide range of practical cooperation in the fight against international terrorism is also possible. Given the current military-political situation, I consider this issue important, ” concluded Valery Gerasimov.

http://eng.mil.ru/en/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12221380@egNews