BAGRAMYAN TRAINING GROUND, October 9. /TASS/. A joint milary exercise of the Collective Rapid Reaction Force (CRRF) of the post-Soviet security bloc, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), began in Armenia on Monday, TASS reports from the site.

Russian Southern Military District Commander, Colonel General Alexander Dvornikov (who leads the exercises), said the task of the maneuvers is to simulate action to localize an armed conflict in an imaginary CSTO member state.

"A multinational team of the command and the headquarters of the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s CRRF will plan at an automated command point a joint operation to localize an armed conflict on the territory of an imaginary state - CSTO membe ," Dvornikov said.

The general said the exercise will also train practical action of CSTO’s CRRF contingents and a unit of a Russian-Armenian joint group of forces to localize an imaginary armed conflict.

Issues related to the use of the automated command and control system in preparations for and during an operation will also be worked out during the drills.

The exercises at the Bagramyan and the Alagyaz training grounds in Armenia, codenamed Cooperation 2017, are held as part of the CSTO Combat Brotherhood 2017 strategic exercise and will end on October 13.

Combat Brotherhood 2017

According to the Russian Defense Ministry’s official website, the Combat Brotherhood 2017 CSTO strategic exercise will be held in four stages between October 3 and November 20.

The first stage, headlined the Search 2017, took place at five ranges in Armenia and Russia on October 3-7. It focused on settling a military conflict, and involved reconnaissance units of the CSTO countries.

It is followed by the Cooperation 2017 exercise of Collective Rapid Reaction Force contingents and part of joint Russian and Armenian military forces, held from October 9 to 13.

On October 16-20, the Unbreakable Brotherhood 2017 CSTO peacekeeping forces exercise dealing with post-conflict peace-building is planned to be held at two ranges in Kazakhstan.

The final stage of the Combat Brotherhood 2017 exercise will include missions of the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Force contingents in the Republic of Tajikistan from November 10 to 20.