For the first time, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Anti-Terrorism Center (ATC) will conduct joint counterterrorism exercises in the fall of 2025. The announcement was made by CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov during a meeting of security agency heads from CIS member states in Moscow, according to MTRK Mir.
The joint exercises, titled Indestructible Brotherhood–2025 (CSTO) and Commonwealth. Anti-Terror–2025 (CIS ATC), will be held under a unified plan. The drills will focus on identifying and preventing illegal crossings by terrorist fighters across national borders.
Participants of the meeting emphasized the growing need for coordination amid escalating regional threats. Russian FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov warned that security in the CIS is being undermined by rising instability in the Middle East, Africa, the Afghan-Pakistani region, and Central Asia. He said that leaders of international terrorist groups are increasingly relying on militants operating in Afghanistan and Syria, including former prisoners released from Syrian jails—many of whom are nationals of CIS countries.
According to FSB data, in 2024 more than 5,500 terrorists and extremists were identified across the CIS, and over 550 planned terrorist and extremist crimes were prevented. More than 1,500 individuals were prosecuted.
The CIS ATC also coordinated interstate search operations using a centralized data bank, which led to the arrest of over 900 terrorists and the identification of more than 800 individuals involved in financing terrorist activity.
Planned measures include strengthening the international legal framework, updating training programs for counterterrorism personnel, and expanding intelligence sharing among security services.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
June 11, 2025