Yuri Veselov, military observer

Exactly 82 years have passed since the morning when united Europe, led by Nazi Germany, treacherously attacked our Motherland. That war, which became the People’s and the Great Patriotic War, lasted almost five years and claimed more than 27 million lives of the then great united country.

And now the Motherland is faced with great trials. Speaking on June 21 in the Grand Kremlin Palace to graduates of higher military institutions, Defense Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu frankly said that “at present, the fate of the Russian Federation is being decided and its geopolitical future is being determined.”

“The collective West launched a real war against Russia, once again trying with all its might to break it. Endless sanctions are being introduced, riots and military conflicts are being provoked in neighboring states, and huge military assistance is being provided to the Kyiv regime,” the army general emphasized.

In turn, in an address to graduates of military academies, President and Supreme Commander of the RF Armed Forces Vladimir Putin called on the assembled officers and generals to complete dedication, principled responsibility and perseverance, courage, determination and readiness to lead comrades-in-arms. “Cohesion, coherence, the unity of the will of the fighters and their ability to win are achieved by the tireless work of the commander with each soldier or sailor. This is especially important,” Putin stressed.

Then the Supreme Commander spoke about the main processes taking place in the army, pointing out the most important task – the development of the nuclear triad. He listed in detail samples of missile weapons and military equipment that have no analogues in the world, which are coming and will soon go into service with the army and navy. Vladimir Putin congratulated the graduates on completing their studies and wished them every success in their military work.

The meeting with the graduates and their parting words took place during the hot phase of the special military operation and were of a special nature. But neither the Commander-in-Chief, nor the Minister, in their speeches and wishes, mentioned that Russia and its army have to wage a bloody war almost alone against Ukrainian neo-Nazism, sponsored by more than 50 countries led by the United States. But Russia, besides fraternal Belarus, could be supported by other states, for example, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

It should be honestly admitted that with the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, there was a noticeable complication of relations within the CSTO: most of the countries participating in the union did not directly or indirectly support Moscow’s actions to protect the Russian population in the Donbass. Formally refusing to join the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies, the “strategic partners” represented by Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan preferred to sit in bunkers, waiting for the outcome of the fight.

Fearing the so-called secondary sanctions from the West, the “partners” in the CSTO have recently been increasingly openly flirting with Russia’s opponents, creating artificial obstacles to the import of foreign goods into the Russian Federation and the movement of funds. All this has a negative impact not only on the Russian economy, but also on the economies of the countries that follow this path.

At the same time, almost all “strategic partners” demand unilateral preferences from Moscow. Thus, Kazakhstan constantly raises the issues of leasing important for Russia objects of the Baikonur rocket and space complex, additional flow of water resources of the Urals and Volga, free transportation of its goods by Russian railways, and more. Armenia accuses Russia and the CSTO as a whole of non-interference in its conflict with Azerbaijan and blackmails the union with the threat of withdrawing from it. Tajikistan makes claims about “pursuing an imperial policy” in relation to the republics of Central Asia that gained independence, ignoring their interests and, finally, mass and illegal oppression of Tajik migrants in Russia.

At the same time, the leaders of the Central Asian countries justify the participation of their military contingents in exercises under the auspices of the US Central Command, calling it “the sovereign right to pursue an independent policy.” The governments of Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan encourage the activities of foreign NGOs and various foundations “to strengthen democratic values” in their states, to intensify the work and increase the influence of radical organizations that promote intolerance towards everything Russian.

The vast majority of young people in these countries are deprived of the opportunity to learn Russian. A massive attack on Russian culture and art is being carried out, the process of renaming cities, settlements and streets from historical Russians to national names has been launched. With the connivance of the authorities, a policy of banning professions is being pursued: Russians cannot hold leadership positions, work as doctors, engineers, teachers in higher educational institutions, teachers in schools, commanders in national armies.

At the same time, underground anti-government organizations oriented towards Islamic radicalism are maturing inside Asian countries, fueled by local oligarchs who seek to seize power, redistribute economic resources and lease them in concession to European and American financial and industrial magnates.

In addition, on the external borders of a number of countries, not only remains, but also increases the external threat of destabilization of the situation. First of all, this concerns Tajikistan, which borders on Afghanistan in the south. The government of the Taliban movement (banned in the Russian Federation) is not able to take full control of the territory of their country, namely, in the Afghan border area with Tajikistan, they have found shelter and are actively multiplying the unfinished in the Middle East and deployed here units of militants of the Islamic State banned in Russia.

This was exactly what was discussed in Minsk, first on June 1 at a meeting of the heads of the CIS intelligence services, on June 8 – the secretaries of the security councils of the CSTO member countries and, finally, on June 20 – the foreign ministers of the CSTO states (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan). As always, the meetings were moderated by President Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of Belarus, which will chair the Organization in 2023.

At almost all meetings, the Belarusian leader persistently urged the participants to strengthen unity, unite countries in the face of the threat of losing their sovereignty and the creeping aggression of Western states in order to sow mistrust and discord between the former republics of the once powerful and large state.

“No one needs us, except for the post-Soviet space that exists today after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In fact, we speak the same language, we have a single economy, we have common markets, industrial cooperation… Why break this market?” Lukashenka addressed the audience at the meeting of the heads of the special services. And further: “The military-political situation around our Commonwealth is becoming more and more aggravated, and it will become aggravated … They will try to slowly pull us apart. And in a good way, and in a bad way. We guys shouldn’t let that happen. This is my iron point of view!”

At a meeting of the leaders of the CSTO Foreign Ministry, the Belarusian leader stressed: “The current situation in the world leaves no doubt that we must stick together. Full-scale hybrid wars are unleashed against sovereign countries that do not follow the instructions of the West. We’ve all experienced it. Sometimes we don’t draw conclusions from the past and start to step on the old rake in a new way.

“We need to understand that they will put pressure on us. Even if the conflict in Ukraine ends, we will still not be left behind. We need to develop a common, I will call it a plan of our actions, primarily in the economy. This plan should unite and unite us all,” Alexander Lukashenko stressed.

So, on June 20, 2023, in Minsk, six foreign ministers of the CSTO countries, following lengthy discussions behind closed doors, signed several agreements aimed at improving the association. They adopted two statements: on the prevention of an arms race in outer space and the situation in Afghanistan.

Undoubtedly, the Belarusian “moderator” at the meeting of the heads of the CSTO foreign affairs agencies (and even earlier at other meetings) expressed the thoughts and wishes of his Russian colleague Vladimir Putin. And it was on June 20 that the main question was raised about the inadmissibility of destroying economic and logistical ties between countries. Recently, the pronounced tendency of the leaders of a number of countries (Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan) to take the path of restricting the transit through their territory of goods prohibited by US sanctions seriously affects the Russian economy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly emphasized in his speeches the idea that Russia now does not need direct military assistance from the CSTO countries. Under these statements, first of all, the participation of their military was meant. At the same time, he indirectly warned of the detrimental consequences for the “partners” if they obstruct Russian production. That is why the main attention at the meeting of foreign ministers was given to improving ties, finding ways to overcome sanctions, strengthening unity and trust.