MOSCOW, December 19. /TASS/. The recent Russian-Belarusian drills, as well as the exercises that the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSOT) will hold next year, are deterrent measures, CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas said on Monday.

"We consider the joint drills with Russia to be strategic deterrence measures," he pointed out at a press conference summarizing the organization’s activities in 2022.

"The exercises can be viewed as a measure of strategic deterrence, particularly on the part of the CSTO," Zas added.

According to him, the CSTO keeps an eye on the situation along its western borders. Zas also announced plans to carry out a series of CSTO drills in Belarus next year.