Belarus to host CSTO exercises Indestructible Brotherhood and Barrier on 11-16 October

“In mid-October, the Losvido training ground in Belarus will host a command-and-staff exercise with the CSTO peacekeeping forces, the Indestructible Brotherhood 2026. To comprehensively drill peacekeeping tasks, additional units will be brought in, including combat and transport aviation, engineering troops, unmanned aerial complexes, a special purpose medical detachment, the Vityaz fire and rescue unit of the Emergencies Ministry, as well as units of the Internal Troops and the OMON special police force of the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs,” Andrei Serdyukov said.
 
At the same time, the Starodorozhsky training ground will host a specialized exercise with the CSTO joint formation for radiation, chemical and biological protection and medical support, Barrier 2026. “During the exercise, we plan to practically drill tasks related to eliminating biological threats in the area of responsibility of the Collective Peacekeeping Forces, as well as issues of the joint formation’s participation in collective response measures in the event of a large-scale and rapid spread of dangerous infectious diseases,” the chief of the CSTO Joint Staff noted. 

The main exercise of 2026 in terms of scope, scale and participant composition will be the Interaction command-and-staff exercise with the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces (CRRF). It will take place in late September at a training ground in Russia’s Central Military District. Immediately prior, specialized drills will be held with reconnaissance forces and assets (Search 2026) and with logistics support forces (Echelon 2026).
 
“In practicing the preparation and conduct of the joint operation, great attention will be paid to command and control of CRRF contingents, taking into account the constantly evolving forms and methods of warfare, as well as the experience of modern armed conflicts. We plan to practically drill the full range of measures for deploying a command and control system, drawing on the experience of the Russian Armed Forces,” Andrei Serdyukov emphasized. He added that representatives of international organizations and non-CSTO member states have been invited to the exercise.

In mid-September, the joint exercise Rubezh [Frontier] 2026 will take place in Kazakhstan at the Koktal training ground, involving the Collective Rapid Deployment Forces of the Central Asian region. The exercise scenario is closely linked to the Batyl Toitarys [Resolute Counterattack] 2026 strategic command-and-staff exercise which is the main event in the operational and combat training of Kazakhstan’s Armed Forces. Special attention will be paid to carrying out combat training tasks in mountainous and desert terrain, in coordination with units of Kazakhstan’s border troops and National Guard.