ASTANA, September 14. /TASS/. About 1,500 military personnel are taking part in the Collective Security Treaty Organization's (CSTO) Rubezh 2026 exercise, the Defense Ministry of Kazakhstan reported.

"Approximately 1,500 military personnel and more than 300 pieces of weaponry, military, and specialized equipment, including 115 unmanned aerial vehicles, are involved. The field exercises are being conducted with due consideration for the specific features of the mountainous and desert terrain and include coordination with units of the Border Service and the National Guard of Kazakhstan," the ministry stated.

As Vladislav Schegrikovich, press secretary of the CSTO Joint Staff, previously told TASS, the active phase of the joint exercise with the Collective Rapid Deployment Forces of the Central Asian Region, Rubezh 2026, has begun at the Kotal training ground in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

During the exercises, participants are practicing the preparation and conduct of combat operations aimed at eliminating illegal armed groups that have invaded the territory of a CSTO member state. The opening ceremony was attended by Mirlan Turgunbekov, Deputy Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization; Major General Askar Zholamanov, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Lieutenant General Ruslan Shpekbaev, Deputy Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff; and invited officials.