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Post-Soviet security bloc to hold five exercises in Belarus in September

A set of drills with the CSTO Collective Forces will be carried out in 2023 within the Brotherhood of War joint operational/strategic exercise as the key format of the bloc’s joint training

MINSK, May 18. /TASS/. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will conduct five exercises in Belarus in early September, State Secretary of the Belarusian Security Council Alexander Volfovich said at a meeting of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly Council on Thursday.

"A number of joint drills is planned on Belarusian territory to further develop and train the [CSTO} Collective Forces. In particular, such drills as Interaction, Search, Echelon, Barrier and Rock will be held on September 1-6 as part of the Brotherhood of War 2023 joint operational/strategic exercise. All these drills are being prepared and the Belarusian side will take all measures to see to it that they are held at a qualitative level and in an orderly manner at training grounds of the Republic of Belarus," he said.

A set of drills with the CSTO Collective Forces will be carried out in 2023 within the Brotherhood of War joint operational/strategic exercise as the key format of the bloc’s joint training. Five joint and special exercises are planned on Belarusian soil. The Interaction 2023 exercise with the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Forces will focus on employing troops and capabilities for settling a crisis situation in the bloc’s Eastern European region.

The CSTO reconnaissance forces and capabilities will exercise within the Search 2023 special drills. The Echelon special exercise will focus on operations by logistic support forces. During the Barrier special exercise, the organization’s forces will practice setting up a joint radiation, chemical and biological protection and medical provision formation.

Also, the Rock 2023 special exercise is planned with emergencies units attached to the CSTO special-purpose force. At the final stage of the Brotherhood of War 2023 drills, a joint exercise with the CSTO Peacekeeping Forces, Indestructible Brotherhood 2023, is planned on the territory of Kyrgyzstan.

In addition to Belarus that chairs the post-Soviet security bloc in 2023, the organization also includes Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

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