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Post-Soviet security bloc held 6 large-scale combat drills in 2013

CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha particularly outlined the military exercise codenamed Zapad-2013 (West-2013), held last September in Belarus

MOSCOW, January 21. /ITAR-TASS/. Members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Russian-led security alliance of former-Soviet republics, held six large-scale military drills over the past year, the organization’s secretary general said on Tuesday.

“There were six military drills, which involved all branches of armed forces,” CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha said particularly outlining the military exercise codenamed Zapad-2013 (West-2013), held last September in Belarus.

Zapad military drills are held biannually since 2009 and last year’s six-day exercise involved up to 13,000 military servicemen from Russia and Belarus, some 350 armored combat vehicles, including 40 tanks, over 50 aircraft as well as warships from the Russian Baltic Fleet.

He also mentioned the importance of last year’s exercise codenamed Cobalt-2013, held jointly with special-task forces from interior ministries of the CSTO member states.

The CSTO is comprised of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

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