October 12, Pozirk. Belarus is holding two drills involving troops from Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and a surprise exercise in Hrodna near the border with Poland.
The drill in Hrodna was ordered by Alaksandar Łukašenka today to test the combat readiness of the 6th Detached Guards Mechanized Brigade, the defense ministry reported.
State Secretary of the Security Council Alaksandar Valfovič formally instructed Vadzim Suraŭ, commander of the Western Operational Command, to bring a rapid response unit to “readiness to carry out its assigned missions.”
According to Deputy State Secretary Andrej Harbacienka, the exercise will end with a battalion’s march to a “designated area” for “tactical and fire training.”
Combat vehicle crews will hold live fire drills, and the battalion’s personnel’s physical fitness will be evaluated.
The CSTO’s ongoing command staff exercise in Viciebsk in northern Belarus focuses on “separating opposing sides and bringing them to a peaceful settlement,” the Belarusian defense ministry reported.
According to the ministry, the first stage of Unbreakable Brotherhood 2026 will see peacekeepers “take up positions, separate opposing sides, and ensure security in the crisis area.” The second stage will involve “controlling” terrain and civilian activity, guarding critical infrastructure, creating integrated protection zones, and ensuring safe transit and communications. In the final stage, peacekeepers will hand over critical infrastructure and the area of responsibility to local authorities.
The launch of Unbreakable Brotherhood 2026 and another CSTO exercise, Barrier 2026, was announced by the Belarusian defense ministry on October 11. The Barrier 2026 nuclear, biological and chemical protection drill is being held in Staryja Darohi, Minsk region.
The ministry said that troops from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan were practicing in conducting a peacekeeping operation and “eliminating the sources of biological threats.”
The CSTO exercises involve more than 1,500 troops and over 300 pieces of equipment, including about 80 unmanned aerial vehicles.
The CSTO is a military-political alliance whose stated goals include strengthening peace, international and regional security and stability, and protecting its member states’ independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty. Its members are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.
However, Armenia has suspended its participation in the CSTO, accusing some of its members of “planning a war” against Armenia alongside Azerbaijan.
The Belarusian army has been conducting exercises frequently amid tensions with the West and Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, in which Minsk supports Moscow.
