CSTO: News and Developments

CSTO preparing risk-reduction measures after NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan

CSTO members criticized the activity of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, whose objective was to combat terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking.

DUSHANBE, March 27. /ITAR-TASS/. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) does not rule out the deterioration of the situation in Central Asia and Afghanistan after withdrawal of NATO forces scheduled for 2014. It is working out a number of preventive measures to reduce such risks, Deputy CSTO Secretary Khairullo Latypov said at an international conference which addressed security problems in Central Asia in the conditions of the modern world order.

"The CSTO has rather serious military, military-political and humanitarian elements, as well as information infrastructure, to be able to ensure security in the zone of its responsibility in Central Asia," Latypov said.

Participants in the conference criticized the activity of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, whose objective was to combat terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking. Kazakhstan's ambassador to Tajikistan Agybai Smagulov said in this connection that "the international force has not fulfilled its objectives to eliminate the terrorist threat," which could spread across the region and augment the existing risks."

Head of the Russian diplomatic mission in Dushanbe Igor Lyakin-Frolov expressed bewilderment over the White House's decision to stop cooperation with Russia in combating drug-trafficking in the face of growing drug expansion from Afghanistan.

Tajikistan representative, First Deputy Chief of the republic's General Staff Maj-Gen Takhir Khairullayev said a priority was to turn to the multi-million group of young people, as part of them became "hostages of hostile web resources amid information wars."

Intentions to involve military-political alliances in Ukraine's settlement to have impacts

"To destabilize the situation, information war specialists resort to lies and distortion of reality, bringing together people and planting in them false information in order to make them come out into the street and oust their governments," Khairullayev said.

"That is why we need new unconventional propaganda methods among youngsters, new forms of communication, new technology and a strategy of information countermeasures," the Tajik general underlined.

Taking part in the discussion are prominent researchers and political scientists of the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and a number of other countries. Conference participants are expected to adopt a resolution.

CSTO To Cut Contacts With NATO, Increase Ties With SCO

The Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization announced on Thursday that it would stop all contacts with NATO. It's a decision not likely to be deeply mourned in Brussels, which rarely had evinced any interest in cooperating with the CSTO in the first place.

CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha said at a Moscow press conference that: "For now we will not be making any efforts to establish contact with NATO, due to their stance during the Ukrainian crisis.... Today, NATO is blackmailing all of the CSTO member states ... showing that they are extremely dissatisfied with Russia's actions in recent months."

Bordyuzha's remarks echo those made by Russia's deputy defense minister, Anatoly Antonov, earlier this week:

"There is moral pressure and an attempt to convince people that 'Russians are bad' and therefore they should look up to European democracy. They are talking about some military-technical assistance, about sending advisers and increasing the number of joint exercises. NATO has only one task to pursue — to drive a wedge between Russia and its allies, to tear us away from each other," Antonov said.

It's no doubt true that U.S. and European countries would like the CSTO countries -- Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan -- to have closer ties with NATO than with Russia. But this has been true for a long time. And it hasn't stopped the CSTO, somewhat out of its character of being the "anti-NATO," of doggedly seeking closer ties with its nemesis. Last March, Bordyuzha complained that NATO, at Washington's insistence, was refusing to cooperate: "We invited the U.S. to do it jointly because we see that the challenges facing the CSTO member states are similar or almost identical to the challenges NATO's member states have encountered. But they are not yet ready for it," he said. "Just read the U.S. State Department's cables on the WikiLeaks. Everything is clear there. 'The elder brother' does not permit, and all the others obey."

He's right: Wikileaks cables offer many examples of Washington rejecting the notion of working with the CSTO. In 2009, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen was preparing to propose formal engagement with the CSTO, but U.S. officials managed to block the move, arguing that doing so would legitimize “a waning organization” that “has proven ineffective in most areas of activity.”

And after a 2010 meeting with Bodyuzha, the U.S. embassy in Moscow wrote a cable describing Bordyuzha as “condescending” and “true to his background as a career KGB/FSB official.” It concluded: “If the Russian government is serious about promoting the possibilities of CSTO cooperation with NATO, they will need a better front man than Bordyuzha.”

Ukraine crisis aside, it's maybe most remarkable that it took the CSTO five-plus years to realize that NATO was not going to return their advances. In the absence of ties with NATO, the CSTO is now going to step up cooperation with the other anti-NATO, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Bordyuzha said: "Now the CSTO intends to step up cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and with China and Iran in the fight against drugs trafficking," the Belarusian Telegraph Agency reported: “We are also about to start cooperating with other organizations that take care of security matters in the Asian region,” Bordyuzha said.

Pretty much.

I was reading the moscow times (I think that site is owned by foreigners based upon its writers blog area) and the major companies pulling from Russia or not expanding are restaurant businesses. I mean, seriously? Fast food is important for an economy that is going to stagnate or have problems, so why isn't Russian companies building up fast food joints?

I think the other issue that Russia faces is their media and how their politicians will continue their development. Iranian gov was able to intervene in their market, with ISI.

Russia needs to get on the ball right now, look at China, Kazakhstan, Belarus, India and Venezuela (also Bangladesh too) in order to improve imports from them, and exports to them. As well, start offering something to the people in order to build up domestic companies and get them to be more financially secured without need of foreign sales, unless to the nations none hostile to Russia.

CSTO should also start building military towns in each country, and each nationality can put a certain amount in terms of economic development for these CSTO military towns so that their businesses can get exposure to each other markets.

Hannibal Barca wrote:Let us not be harsh. I followed from inside EU integration and took some 30 years and an Warsaw pact collapse to enter it's full phase and now after all everything seemed that happened too quickly and too hastily.
It will take time and should take time. The last 10 years a lot of staff have happened, just go back and read the material of the time and now.
Only because west declines so fast seems like the power vacuum is immense. It is amazing how much weakened west the last 10 years. Unrecognizable.
But I am/we are impatient I confess. I run out of time. I want to still have black hair on top of my head when East finally triumphs   

You are right of course. Don't worry, as long as your mothers side did not bald, then you will not either.

Although, I am surprised that Russians have not taken advantage yet of the high demand of the burger joints in CIS yet, and having their own McDonalds or BurgerKing restaurants. That is a high profit organization. If I had the money and I was not married or a Father, I would be starting my own Burger Joint (I can make mean burgers. Which can be verified by my physique).

I know they have large companies like grocery chains in Russia, but I cannot think for the life of me a big restaurant business or competitor to Ikea or Jysk. Ikea Mega is a massive project and I heard it is bringing in a lot of money. I would eat at a Russian burger joint or some sort of Perogie restaurant.

Cyberspec wrote:

sepheronx wrote:

Hannibal Barca wrote:Although, I am surprised that Russians have not taken advantage yet of the high demand of the burger joints in CIS yet, and having their own McDonalds or BurgerKing restaurants.  That is a high profit organization.  If I had the money and I was not married or a Father, I would be starting my own Burger Joint (I can make mean burgers.  Which can be verified by my physique).

No offence, but that's the worst food you can eat. Not something Russia should be looking to emulate....Russia should put it's efforts into developing GM Free - Organic agricultural products. The demand for such products will only grow exponentially

What Garry said.

I make my burgers (well, used to at least till I got married) from a mixture of lean ground beef and ground pork, with egg and breadcrumbs to hold it together. Then I would add seasoning to it like Oregano, Basil, Cilantro, garlic and onions. Then I would flaten it out into a patty press and then cook it as is. Did not take long if you know what you are doing and have the ingredients at hand. There are fast food joints like Five Guys and or Burger Inn that do that here and for the most part, it is delicious. Although, I do not know where they get their supply of meat from so I do not know how good or bad it is for you.

Russia's agricultural food standards are very different and very strict it seems. They have not allowed GM foods yet and well, McDonalds, much like any other fast food joint, gets majority of their ingredients from local sources as it is cheaper than importing in a lot of cases. So in this case, Russian agriculture gets a boost in finances. Now source that to a local chain rather than foreign, and even more money will be staying the country.

I agree, the GM foods is not good for us, and the style of foods form McDonalds is definitely not good. But there are companies who do quite well and offer much better quality food than these chains. It is just how it is done and how they can automate the process/increase the rate they get their food at, to lower costs.

Turkmenistan’s security challenges for 2014

A journalist recently asked me to comment on some questions regarding Turkmenistan’s security situation in the coming year. The resulting comment has now been posted, though without the questions for some reason. I’ll reproduce it here for ease of access, though please click through to the original to see several other analysts’ perspectives on Turkmenistan’s security.

Q: What will be the main security challenges for Turkmenistan in 2014?

A: I think drug (narcotics) trafficking will remain the greatest security challenge for Turkmenistan in the next year. The US departure from Afghanistan may lead to greater instability in the region, though most discussion of its impact on Central Asia exaggerates the likely impact, so I would list this as a second challenge.

Q: US [appears to be] really retreat[ing] from Central Asia, being more and more focused on South East Asia. What could be in 2014 the signs that this retreat is in process? What would be the consequences for Turkmenistan?

A: If the US pulls out all, or even most, of its troops, from Afghanistan, this will prove that the focus on the region is at an end. The financial allocations for security assistance to Central Asian states are another good signal. If this assistance is cut significantly, that will be proof that the withdrawal from Afghanistan also signals the end of US paying much attention to Central Asia. Since Turkmenistan is fairly isolated in security and alliance terms, I don’t think the consequences will be very significant. Even if the Taliban does take over in Afghanistan and uses the country as a base to spread insurgency to Central Asia, this takeover would take a long time to complete, so there would not be much of an effect in 2014.

Q: Which other great powers, geopolitical actors (China, Russia, Europe…), could take the responsibility of Central Asia, and Turkmenistan, in the coming future? Are there any signs that indeed China or Russia, or others, are starting to take geopolitical and security responsibilities in the area around Turkmenistan?

A: Russia will retain the lead role for security assistance to Central Asia as a whole, though Turkmenistan itself is much more closely tied to China in economic terms. Russian efforts to strengthen the CSTO are a sign that it is taking Central Asian security quite seriously. It may at some point in the future increase pressure on Turkmenistan to participate in CSTO activities or even to become a member, though such pressure will not come for some time. China will continue to free-ride on Russian security assistance and will continue to focus on dominating economic developments in Central Asia as a whole and Turkmenistan in particular. Europe’s role will be minimal at best. India and Turkey have made some efforts to increase security ties to Central Asian states, but have not achieved that much.

Russia Strengthens Military Bases Abroad – Defense Minister

MOSCOW, May 23 (RIA Novosti) – Russia is strengthening its military bases abroad as well as helping to boost the armed forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Friday.

“In recent years, we have worked to strengthen the Russian military bases in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan: we have increased the number of air defense units at the Kant airbase [in Kyrgyzstan], and the 201st base now has a divisional structure,” Shoigu said at a security conference in Moscow.

The International Security Conference began in Moscow Friday for the third time. The event is being attended by military experts and government officials from a number of countries, including China, Belarus, Iran, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Serbia.

Defense ministers or deputy ministers from the member countries of the CSTO and SCO are also planning to attend the conference. Two panel discussions are expected: “The Search for Ways to Stabilize the Situation in the Middle East and North Africa” and “Afghanistan and Regional Security.”

European Union, US and NATO representatives, critical of Russia's actions in Ukraine, refused to participate in the event.

Collective Security Treaty Organization to develop military element of the organisation

Participants in the session of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) on Tuesday have agreed to develop the military element of the organisation, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said. "We've exchanged our opinions about the military and strategic situation and the situation in the CSTO responsibility area influenced by general international trends, as well as events in neighboring regions in the past two months," Shoigu said.

"We also considered military cooperation within the CSTO framework and set guidelines for further efforts towards developing the military element of the organization."
Taking part in the conference were some 300 representatives from more than 40 countries and five international organizations. Special attention was paid to the impact of so-called "color revolutions" and regional conflicts on global security.
The CSTO member-states are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.
The CSTO was established in 2002 on the basis of the Collective Security Treaty dated 1992. The provision setting up the Council of CSTO Defense Ministers was adopted by the presidents of all the six countries at the CSTO session in 2000.
The CSTO's objective is to ensure security of each member-state. In case of threat to a CSTO member, all other signatories to the treaty pledge to provide the necessity assistance, including military. This mechanism was used in 1996 and 1998-2000, when political and military assistance was provided to Kyrgyzstan and Taji9kistan. In emergency mode, the CSTO can decide on the use of military force within minutes.
Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_06_10/Collective-Security-Treaty-Organization-to-develop-military-element-of-the-organisation-1103/

CSTO defense ministers adopt Collective Forces rapid deployment plan

A plan permitting the rapid deployment of the combined Forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization was signed at a meeting of CSTO Defense Ministers' Council in Moscow on Tuesday, CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha told reporters.

The session's agenda included ten topics, among them possible scenarios and measures to bolster military-technological cooperation between the organization's member states, he said.
"A plan for the rapid deployment of Collective CSTO Forces was signed," Bordyzha said.
"Measures were also addressed aimed at enhancing military-technological cooperation and stepping up our work to increase the effectiveness of the organization's military component in response to the latest changes in the military-political situation both in Central Asia and the East European region," he said.
The Moscow event was attended by the defense ministers of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, as well as officials from the Secretariat, the Joint Staff of the CSTO and the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Among other things at the Moscow meeting, CSTO defense ministers discussed mutual support amid mounting external threats, said Russia's First Deputy Defense Minister, Arkady Bakhin.
"Possible ways of mutual support of CSTO member states amid escalating external threats and political and economic pressure have been considered," he told reporters on Tuesday.
The defense ministers spoke about conditions in the CSTO responsibility zone and the situation in Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine. They also planned the future development of the CSTO military component.
"We could not help but express our concern about the color revolution problem - a new trouble many countries in the Middle East, North Africa and our neighbors in the post-Soviet space have experienced. Color revolutions become a significant factor for destabilization of the political landscape," Bakhin continued.
The socioeconomic and political problems of concrete states presented along with "democratization" slogans are being used by external forces to replace inconvenient governments with regimes controlled from abroad.
"Such "missionary" activity brings chaos and the sharp exacerbation of inter-ethnic and inter-religious confrontations and civilian blood is spilled as a result. What may seem impossible is now happening, microbes of the 20th century political plague, fascism, are coming back to life, moreover, in countries which lost millions fighting [the Nazis]," the first deputy defense minister stated.
The development of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) military component was mapped out at a meeting of the CSTO Council of Defense Ministers, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday.
"We have exchanged opinions about the military strategic situation and conditions in the CSTO responsibility zone, which are taking shape under the influence of global trends and events evolving in neighboring regions for the past few months. We have also discussed military cooperation in the CSTO format and planned further steps in the development of the organization's military component," Shoigu said.
He thanked all the participants in the annual Moscow Security Conference held in late May.
"I thank everyone who visited Moscow and addressed the conference. Your attendance made a strong contribution to the discussion of pressing global security issues," the minister said.
The latest conference was attended by about 300 guests from over 40 countries and five international organizations.
"The impact of the so-called "color revolutions" and regional conflicts on global security was the center of attention," Shoigu added.
CSTO officials to discuss plan of security, defence policy consultations
A meeting of the Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Moscow on Tuesday will discuss a plan for consultations over foreign policy issues, security and defense in the second half of this year and the first half of 2015, as well as a plan of the rapid deployment of CSTO forces.
Taking part in the meeting, to be chaired by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, will be CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha, who will report on the situation in the CSTO responsibility zone and topical issues of military cooperation.
Among other participants are the defense ministers of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, as well as representatives of the CSTO Secretariat and the Collective Rapid Reaction Force.
The CSTO officials are expected to visit a Russian missile defense unit in Moscow region protecting the central industrial district, and see armaments and equipments in service with the Russian army.

Russia, China agree to intensify potential of regional organizations - official

Russia and China have agreed to intensify mechanisms for cooperation with Central Asia and increase the potential of regional groups, primarily the Collective Security Cooperation Organization (CSTO) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
"Russia’s initiative on creating a universal center for countering modern threats and challenges is of paramount significance. We’re grateful to China for supporting our efforts," the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev said on Friday.
Commenting on Afghanistan’s influence upon regional security, he said, "I’m confident that the military presence of extra-regional forces in Central Asia should be linked with stabilization efforts in Afghanistan."
"It is not incidental that in the last months terrorists stepped up the actions in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region," Patrushev said.
"We expressed condolences to our Chinese friends over the tragic terrorist attacks in this area," he said.
Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_06_10/CSTO-defense-ministers-adopt-Collective-Forces-rapid-deployment-plan-6428/

Russian Army to Participate in Frontier-2014 International Drills

MOSCOW, July 8 (RIA Novosti) – Soldiers from Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are to take part in the Frontier-2014 drills to be held in Chelyabinsk Region, spokesman for the Central Military District, Colonel Yaroslav Roshchupkin, said Tuesday.

“Representatives of the army forces of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, as well as of the united headquarters and secretariat of the Collective Security Treaty Organization will take part in joint command-and-staff training exercises, with the collective rapid deployment forces of the Central Asian Region in Frontier-2014,” Roshchupkin said.

According to the spokesperson, the drills will start on July 15, at the Cherbakul firing range.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization targets the all-round development of political cooperation, advancing military aspects, and combating international terrorism, extremism, illegal drug and weapons trafficking, among other threats. The organization was founded in 1992 by CIS member states.

CSTO Holds Military Exercises in Central Asia

MOSCOW, July 17 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and its partners from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will jointly carry out military exercises in Central Asia for the neutralization of extremism, Central Military District representative Colonel Yaroslav Roshupkin said Thursday.

“In one of the regions, the reconnaissance unit detected international extremist organizations attempting to intimidate and enlist locals, and store ammunition, arms and drugs in warehouses. Command has made the decision to block and destroy the extremists by using artillery and air force,” the colonel said describing the exercises.

The “Rubezh-2014” operation started this Monday as part of the large-scale exercises under the aegis of CSTO and the supervision of specialists from Armenia and Belarus. The military exercises finish on Friday.

The colonel added that CSTO partners positively perceived the military exercises, as the Central Asian region has always been unstable and unsecure.

“For the past 15 years, our country has had to face challenges and threats, which significantly aggravates the situation in the region,” said Alexandre Kim, assistant to the secretary of defense of Kyrgyzstan.

CSTO was established on May 15, 1992 in Tashkent by the leaders of six countries: Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Later Azerbaijan, Georgia and Belarus joined the treaty. The organization’s goals include developing political and military cooperation as well as counteracting international terrorism, and the trafficking of drugs and weapons.

Post-Soviet security bloc opens military drills in Kyrgyzstan

BISHKEK, July 29. /ITAR-TASS/. Members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Russian-led security alliance of former-Soviet republics, launched on Tuesday joint military drills on a firing range in Kyrgyzstan, the organization’s secretary general said.

“Considering the present-day realities, when various terrorist organizations carry out destructive activities, it is highly important to develop interaction between military mechanisms of the CSTO members,” CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha said addressing the opening ceremony of the drills.

The CSTO, which is comprised of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, regularly holds military drills on the territories of its member states and the current exercise, codenamed Enduring Brotherhood-2014, is held at Kyrgyzstan’s Ala-Too firing range near the capital of Bishkek.

Asanbek Alymkozhoyev, the chief of the Kyrgyz General Staff, said addressing the opening ceremony that “particular attention in the course of the current drills would be paid to peace maintenance in the Central Asia by means of collective peacekeeping units from the CSTO.”

The high-ranking Kyrgyz military official added that the active phase of the exercise had been scheduled for August 1, which is also the closing day of the antiterrorism drills.

Belarus and Tajikistan are represented at the exercise by operative groups and peacekeeping platoons, while Russia has put up commanding post staff and 60-men-strong task force. Kazakhstan sent to the drills an operative group, a battalion, an air assault company, an engineer platoon, a medical platoon and combat aviation. Armenia is represented by an operative group and an infantry platoon and hosts Kyrgyzstan provided for the drills a mountain infantry battalion and combat aviation.

Last year the post-Soviet security organization held a total of six large-scale military exercises. The largest of them, codenamed Zapad -2013 (West-2013) was 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.

CSTO psychological and cyber war games as 3,000 troops drill

MOSCOW, August 12. /ITAR-TASS/. Three thousand troops from six countries will drill psychological and cyber warfare for the first time when they assemble for military maneuvres in Kazakhstan on August 18-22.

They gather for war games of the regional Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), bringing together Rapid Reaction Force units from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.

Thirty aircraft and helicopters will join exercises at the Spassk firing range in Kazakhstan's Karaganda region, CSTO spokesman Vladimir Zainetdinov said.

Post-Soviet security bloc’s special task forces launch drills in Kazakhstan

MOSCOW, August 18. /ITAR-TASS/. Up to 3,000 personnel of special task forces representing member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Russian-led security alliance of former Soviet republics, are involved in the military drills that kicked off on Monday in Kazakhstan, a spokesman for the organization said.

“The aim of the drills, which consist of three stages, is to practice the use of military contingents and formations of the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Force in the Central Asian region,” CSTO spokesman Vladimir Zainetdinov said. “The drills will last until August 22.”

The CSTO, which is comprised of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, regularly holds military drills on the territories of its member states, and the current exercise, codenamed Interaction 2014, is held at the Spassk military range in the Karaganda Region, in central Kazakhstan.

Along with 3,000 personnel, the drills also involve 200 military vehicles and some 30 combat jets and helicopters.

Last week Russian Airborne Force reported that military transport planes airlifted more than 500 paratroopers with military equipment and armaments to Kazakhstan within two days.

Russian paratroopers were joined by personnel from a Kazakhstan's air mobile brigade, a Belarusian special operations mobile brigade, a Kyrgyz special unit and an air assault unit from Tajikistan.

Zainetdinov earlier said the drills would for the first time practice measures to organize and conduct information and psychological war and ensure cyber-security.

This is the second military exercise of the CSTO member-states over the past month. Over two weeks ago the CSTO completed military drills codenamed Enduring Brotherhood-2014, which was held at Kyrgyzstan’s Ala-Too firing range near the capital of Bishkek.

Last year, the post-Soviet security organization held a total of six large-scale military exercises. The largest of them, codenamed Zapad-2013 (West-2013) was held last September in Belarus.

Zapad military drills have been 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.