Russia and Central Asian member nations of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will conduct joint military exercises in Tajikistan near Afghan border in late October, according to the Ministry of Defense (MoD) of Tajikistan.
An official source at a MoD says the exercises, dubbed Rubezh-2018 (Boundary-2018), involving servicemen of Russia and Collective Rapid Reaction Force of the CSTO Central Asian region, will be conducted at the Harbmaydon training ground, located in the Qubodiyon district (Khatlon province), some 15 kilometers from the Tajik-Afghan border.
The details of the upcoming exercises are currently are being coordinated in Dushanbe by representatives of the CSTO unified staff and military delegations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, the source said.
The Rubezh exercises are conducted every two years. The Rubezh-2016 exercises were held in Kyrgyzstan.
Collective Rapid Reaction Force is a joint combined arms task force comprising independent military units from the Collective Security Treaty Organization member nations.
CRRF currently comprises following units: Russia — 98th Guards Airborne Division (Ivanovo) and 31st Guards Air Assault Brigade (Ulyanovsk); Kazakhstan — 37th Separate Air Assault Brigade (Taldykorgan) and Marine forces battalion; Belarus — Spetsnaz brigade; Armenia — infantry battalion; Kyrgyzstan — infantry battalion; and Tajikistan — infantry battalion. The total strength of CRRF is more than 17,000 servicemen.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization groups Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.
