CSTO concludes active phase of Interaction-2026, Poisk-2026, and Echelon-2026 drills in Russia

MOSCOW, October 2. /TASS/. The active phase of the Interaction-2026, Poisk-2026, and Echelon-2026 drills of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) have finished in Russia, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"Today, the active phase of the command-and-staff exercise with the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Forces Interaction-2026, as well as the Poisk-2026 and Echelon-2026 special exercises concluded on the territory of the Russian Federation," it said, adding that all components of the CSTO’s Rapid Reaction Force demonstrated coordinated actions at the Chebarkul training ground during a joint operation to contain a border armed conflict.

During the active phase of the exercises, the servicemen drilled the skills of conducting reconnaissance, achieving fire superiority, eliminating forward positions, and blocking and routing the enemy in a populated area. In the next stage, they practiced blocking and destroying advancing enemy reserves, searching for and eliminating scattered enemy forces in a forest belt, and restoring border control. In the final stage, the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces units drilled the skills of responding to emergencies arising during combat operations.

The exercises involved various types of drones and robotic systems to drill practical actions of troops based on the experience of the special military operation.

The final phase and the closing ceremony were attended by Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Taalbek Masadykov, Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff Colonel General Andrey Serdyukov, representative of the Central Military District command Lieutenant General Alexander Mashyanov, and senior officers of the military contingents from the CSTO member states.