Minsk (ANTARA) \u2013 The Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO)\nbegan two joint exercises in Belarus on Sunday (11 October), entitled\n\u201cIndestructible Brotherhood-2026\u201d and \u201cBarrier-2026\u201d.<\/p>\n
The opening ceremony for the command-post exercise involving the CSTO\nCollective Peacekeeping Forces was held at Victory Square in the\nBelarusian city of Vitebsk.<\/p>\n
Contingents from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and\nTajikistan gathered at the square, where participants laid flowers at a\nmemorial honouring Soviet liberators, partisans and underground fighters\nin the region.<\/p>\n
The ceremony was attended by Major General Vladimir Bely, Chief of\nthe General Staff of the Armed Forces and First Deputy Minister of\nDefence of Belarus; Lieutenant General Ruslan Shpekbaev, Deputy Chief of\nthe CSTO Joint Staff; and Colonel Alexander Ilyukevich, Commander of the\nSpecial Operations Forces of the Belarusian Armed Forces.<\/p>\n
In his address, Bely warned of the changing global security landscape\nand stressed the need to strengthen regional cooperation within the CSTO\nto counter growing threats.<\/p>\n
He highlighted Western policies and actions which, he said, were\nincreasing regional security risks, and underlined the importance of\neffective joint exercises.<\/p>\n
Separately, the Eighth Radiological, Chemical and Biological\nProtection Brigade in the Minsk region held an opening ceremony for a\nspecialist exercise under \u201cBarrier-2026\u201d, focusing on joint protection\nand medical support in radiological, chemical and biological situations\nwithin the CSTO framework.<\/p>\n
The exercises involve not only the armed forces, but also personnel\nfrom internal affairs agencies, the police, internal troops and\nemergency services.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndestructible Brotherhood-2026\u201d will focus on peacekeeping\noperations, while \u201cBarrier-2026\u201d will simulate responses to biological\nthreats.<\/p>\n
The exercises will be held at the Losvido and Starodorozhsky training\ngrounds, respectively.<\/p>\n
More than 1,500 military personnel and over 300 units of military and\nspecialist equipment will take part, including around 80 unmanned aerial\nvehicles (UAVs).<\/p>\n
The CSTO has six member states: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan,\nKyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/csto-launches-two-joint-military-exercises-in-belarus-1791823879", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }