CSTO joint staff chief says drills reflect 'complex' security situation

The Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) is holding joint military exercises that reflect a "complex military-political situation," the chief of the CSTO Joint Staff said, according to Russia's TASS news agency.

The official said the deterioration of international relations, along with the encroachment of what he described as "zones of instability" on the borders of CSTO member states, is contributing to a rise in threats to the military security of the bloc's members.

Bloc's collective defense focus

The CSTO is a security alliance of several former Soviet states, including Russia, that coordinates joint military exercises and mutual-defense arrangements among its members. Its Joint Staff oversees planning for joint drills and coordination between the armed forces of member states.

TASS's report did not specify further details of the exercises' location, scale or participating states, nor did it elaborate on which "zones of instability" the official was referring to. The comments reflect the bloc's continuing emphasis on collective military readiness amid what Russian and allied officials have repeatedly characterized as a deteriorating regional security environment.

CSTO member states have in recent years increased the frequency and scale of joint exercises, citing similar concerns about security threats along their shared borders.