MOSCOW, 12 November (BelTA) – The final stage of the Nerushimoye Bratstvo 2021 [Indestructible Brotherhood] exercise with the collective peacekeeping forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) took place in a training area of the Kazan Higher Tank Command Red Banner School in Russia's Republic of Tatarstan on 12 November, the exercise's joint press center told BelTA.
Scheduled for 8-12 November, the exercise was supposed to improve practical skills of commanding officers as they prepared a peacemaking operation and managed troops of the CSTO collective peacekeeping forces during missions. Peacekeeping contingents of the CSTO member states also improved combat cohesion for the sake of working together to accomplish missions during a peacekeeping operation.
The exercise was supervised by Commander of the Central Military District of Russia's Armed Forces, Colonel-General Aleksandr Lapin. Military contingents of the armies of the CSTO member states took part in the exercise as well as military police units, police units, national guard units, and representatives of the government agencies in charge of preventing and alleviating consequences of emergencies, representatives of the CSTO Joint Staff and the CSTO Secretariat. A total of 1,800 people representing the CSTO armies and law enforcement agencies took part in the exercise. About 300 weapon systems, including eight Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters, two multirole fighter-bombers Su-34, were deployed for the exercise.
During the practical stage the CSTO peacekeepers focused primarily on creating separation zones (buffer zones, demilitarized zones) and on organizing control over actions of warring sides in order to enable conditions conducive to the signing of peace agreements. In line with the scenario of the exercise the CSTO Collective Security Council authorized the CSTO collective peacekeeping forces to prepare and carry out a peacemaking operation in a responsibility area 32km deep and 98km wide. In the buffer zone the troops set up 48 observation posts and 19 checkpoints in addition to securing 11 important government facilities and installations. They also practiced working together at checkpoints and the escorting of humanitarian convoys.
During the exercise the troops thoroughly practiced patrolling, control over the movement of refugees, escorting of humanitarian convoys with assistance of army aviation, drones, and army engineers. The implementation of security measures using cutting-edge radio warfare solutions, alarms, and observation systems was practiced.
The final stage of the exercise took place on 12 November. The troops carried out a peacekeeping mission in the responsibility zone. Four tactical episodes were played out, during which the troops focused on post-conflict settlement. A refugee camp was established for civilians in order to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. The CSTO collective peacekeeping forces helped the locals find their relatives, provided medical and psychological aid, and provided temporary accommodations for people, who had been forced to leave their homes.
During the closing ceremony Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Stanislav Zas said the troops had demonstrated their ability to act professionally together in a rapidly changing situation. “Peacemaking is a priority direction in the development of the Collective Security Treaty Organization,” the official said. “This is why we are adjusting the composition of peacemaking contingents and improving their training system. Efforts are being channeled into integrating the CSTO's peacemaking potential into the UN's work.”
Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, high-ranking officers of the Serbian Defense Ministry, representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe attended the exercise as observers.
