Russian Land Force to Conduct Five Drills With China, India, CSTO in 2015

Russian Land Force plans to conduct five joint peacekeeping and counterterrorism military drills with the armed forces of India, Mongolia, China, Belarus and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) countries in the second half of 2015.

SOCHI (Sputnik) – According to the statement, in 2015 Russia will conduct as many as 18 military exercises in which different divisions of the Russian armed forces will take part.

The CSTO is a regional military alliance comprising six countries —Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Armenia.

A statement prepared for the Wednesday meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and defense officials in the southern city of Sochi reads:

“In the second half of 2015 a number of sub-units and divisions of the Land Force are expected to participate in five joint military drills of peacemaking and counterterrorism nature alongside with divisions of the armed forces of India, Mongolia, China, Republic of Belarus, as well as with divisions of the armed forces of CSTO member-states.”