"Indestructible Brotherhood - 2016" military exercises begin in Belarus

23.08.2016
Belarus

The exercises are being held under the auspices of the Collective Security Treaty Organization with the participation of troops from Belarus, Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Facts

1,000 soldiers and officers of the armed forces, internal forces and law enforcement agencies from all six countries are participating along with more than 500 units of aircraft, armored vehicles and automotive equipment.

The maneuvers are held at the Obuz-Lesnovsky  site in the Brest region, and will last until August 27th.

Demonstrative peacemaking

That the exercises are being held near the border with Poland is a signal to NATO countries, which have in recent years organized a series of demonstrative exercises in which Russia is marked as the conventional enemy.

But in this case, the emphasis will be placed on peacekeeping operations. For example, Russian soldiers are working out plans for intervening in a conflict situation to prevent the collision of the two warring parties and disarm the illegal formation.

Representatives of the United Nations Secretariat and the International Committee of the Red Cross have been invited. Also, a representative of the Ministry of Defense of Serbia will attend.

Testing new weapons

The exercise will be conducted using a single management and intelligence system. BTR-82A armored transports, “Warrior” equipment, “Little Forest” electronic warfare sets, sixth generation “Passion” radio stations, and “Archer” intelligence, management, and communication systems will all be used.

Strengthening alliance

This is the fifth peacekeeping exercise in the framework of the CSTO, which points to the coordinated work of the organization. Unlike NATO, which carries out aggression against various countries and does not assume any responsibility for the consequences (Yugoslavia in 1999, Libya in 2011), the Collective Security Treaty Organization is engaged in preventative measures and also maintains the combat readiness of its forces in good condition in case of an emergency.

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Belarus
CSTO
exercises