CSTO peacekeepers deal with extremists during Unbreakable Brotherhood 2013 exercise
MOSCOW. October 9. KAZINFORM Peacekeeping forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization practiced the protection of a humanitarian cargo motorcade and the isolation of an area where extremists operated during the exercise Nerushimoye Bratstvo 2013 [Unbreakable Brotherhood 2013], BelTA learned from CSTO Press Secretary Vladimir Zainetdinov.
During the exercise on 8 October Commander of the CSTO Collective Peacekeeping Forces, Major-General Konstantin Kastornov decided in favor of holding a peacekeeping operation. The concept of the exercise was approved after he presented it.
During the exercise a military political situation was created to practice the development of joint measures for the sake of preventing and resolving a crisis situation in the CSTO collective responsibility area, the protection of security, stability, and territorial integrity of the imaginary Republic of Uralia via preventively using political means and rendering aid through the CSTO Collective Peacekeeping Forces, BelTA has been told.
The situation was based on a possible scenario of events that may occur in CSTO collective security regions in view of the rising tensions between leading global powers and military political unions, an escalation of interethnic contradictions and the fight for energy resources, BelTA reports.
The parties in conflict tried to reach their political and strategic goals using political means and military force. The conflict had been started due to historical territorial, interethnic and religious contradictions as well as economic ones.
The tensions had been fueled primarily due to social and economic reasons, the rising interference of international terrorist and extremist organizations, and tensions in interethnic relations.
As part of the exercise the Collective Peacekeeping Forces practiced the protection of critical installations of the imaginary CSTO member state - the Republic of Uralia. The Collective Peacekeeping Forces enabled the delivery of humanitarian cargoes to a populated locality that had been blocked by extremists. A motorcade covered by combat helicopters Mi-24 arrived at its destination without losses and the humanitarian cargoes were unloaded. The Collective Peacekeeping Forces isolated an area where extremists had been registered and mass riots had been provoked. CSTO peacekeepers were stations at checkpoints, including mobile ones. A vehicle loaded with weapons was detected at one checkpoint. The peacekeepers blocked the vehicle and called for police special operations units, who in turn apprehended and escorted hypothetical extremists.
Later on 8 October the CSTO Collective Peacekeeping Forces are expected to take part in a live firing exercise that will involve armored vehicles, air defense systems, and 82mm mortars.
The exercise Unbreakable Brotherhood 2013 gathered military contingents of all the CSTO member states - Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan - a total of about 2,500 troops with 500 vehicles.