CSTO Secretary-General: Protecting Facilities from UAVs Is Included on the Agenda for Upcoming Exercises

The protection of facilities from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has been included on the agenda for the CSTO Member States' military exercises, which are to take place this autumn, first in Kazakhstan and then in Russia and Belarus. This was announced on August 27 by Taalatbek Masadykov, Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), in an interview with TASS.

"The issue of protecting facilities from UAVs has been raised. This September, the Rubezh-2026 exercises will take place in Kazakhstan; in late September and early October, the Vzaimodeistvie-2026 exercises will take place in Russia; and then, in October, the Nerushimoye Bratstvo exercises in Belarus," the CSTO Secretary-General pointed out. "At the request of the defence ministries of our Organisation’s Member States, this has been included on the agenda."

According to Taalatbek Masadykov, the Organization is currently working out possible options for sharing experience in using and countering UAVs, as well as means of defence against them.

"I believe the defence industries of Russia, Belarus and other countries are also looking into this matter," Masadykov added. "Of course, everyone is trying to keep pace, as both the nature and forms of warfare have changed. In my view, this is a very valid question, and it is one of the most pressing issues today regarding the military component of the Organization."