The Chief of the Joint Staff of the CSTO, Colonel General Andrei Serdyukov, reported at a briefing that in 2025 all planned activities for joint military training were fully completed. He noted that throughout the year, the practice of organizing exercises in a complex military-political situation continued. The scenarios for the exercises were developed in collaboration with defense agencies, based on the current challenges and threats faced by the CSTO member states.
A total of 61 events were held in 2025, including operational consultations, staff negotiations, and large-scale joint exercises. According to Serdyukov, the year was marked by a significant increase in geopolitical tension and the proximity of unstable zones to the borders of the CSTO member states. In this context, the Joint Staff operated in strict accordance with the assigned tasks, focusing on the priorities set by the chairing Kyrgyz Republic. The main task remained to maintain a high readiness of collective forces to ensure peace and security.
One of the key strategic achievements of the year was the approval of the military cooperation development plan for 2026–2030, which was endorsed by the heads of state. This document lays the foundation for coalition military construction for the next five years and shapes the strategic outlook of the military component of the CSTO in the long term.
The practical implementation of tasks in 2025 took place on the territories of Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Military contingents carried out operational force redeployment exercises, coordinated multinational groupings, and utilized them considering the experience of modern armed conflicts. Special attention was paid to the deployment of command and control systems and the protection of command posts from enemy drone attacks. Andrei Serdyukov concluded that all training and research tasks were successfully completed: personnel demonstrated excellent training and readiness to act as a cohesive unit in crisis conditions.
