Ahead of drills in Belarus, Putin’s allies pay visit to Northern Fleet
A military delegation from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has visited the naval headquarters in Severomorsk on the Kola Peninsula.
Military leaders from Russia’s allied countries—Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan—have paid a visit to the heavily militarised Kola Peninsula.
The visit included talks with representatives of the Northern Fleet and regional authorities. The military representatives were also welcomed on board the Kazan, a multipurpose submarine of the Yasen class.
For the occasion, the submarine had been moved from its base in Zaozersk to Severomorsk, footage from state propaganda outlet TASS shows.
Reportedly, the visit lasted from 5 to 7 October.
In a meeting with Northern Fleet Commander Admiral Konstantin Kabantsev, "aspects of the military and political situation in the North Atlantic and the Arctic were discussed," the Northern Fleet newspaper Na Strazhe Zapolyarya reported.
The Arctic was also on the agenda in a meeting with regional governor Andrei Chibis.
"The meeting reaffirmed the importance of coordinating the efforts of military and civilian bodies to ensure comprehensive security in the Arctic and the sustainable development of the Murmansk region as a strategically important region of the country," the regional government reported.
The delegation was headed by Deputy Head of the CSTO, Lieutenant-General Ruslan Shpekbaev from Kazakhstan.
Among the Russian members of the delegation was Major General Arsen Rakhmanov, who serves as Head of the CSTO Crisis Response Centre.
The visit to Severomorsk and the Northern Fleet followed a major exercise at the Chebarkulsky shooting range outside Chelyabinsk in Russia’s Ural region. The training was part of Tsentr-2026, a major annual exercise with participation from the CSTO allies.
According to the Kremlin, more than 47,000 soldiers are taking part in Tsentr-2026, with drills being held at 11 shooting ranges and in the Caspian Sea. Reportedly, representatives of 55 countries have come to observe the drills.
Tsentr-2026 will also include drills near NATO territory. According to the secretariat of the CSTO, the allied forces from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Russia are now redeploying to Belarus, where a command-and-staff exercise will take place between 12 and 16 October.
The drills, which have been named "Unbreakable Brotherhood-2026," will reportedly include a so-called "peacekeeping operation" by the CSTO.
