MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/. Border guards from eight Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member countries have conducted a joint command and staff exercise in the Leningrad Region to neutralize sabotage and reconnaissance groups and to deploy units to repel an armed invasion, the Public Relations Center of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) reported.

"Border guards from the Commonwealth states, in coordination with units of the Leningrad Military District, territorial units of the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardiya), the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, practiced detecting and eliminating enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups and illegal armed formations during periods of escalating military and political tensions in the border area, as well as the use of units of the joint force to repel an armed incursion," the FSB Public Relations Center said.

The joint command and staff exercise was held at the headquarters of the Border Guard Directorate of the FSB for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region under the leadership of the FSB Border Service of Russia in accordance with the Program of Cooperation among CIS Member States on Strengthening Border Security on External Borders for 2026-2030, with the aim of improving interstate cooperation between border agencies and other agencies of the CIS member states.

Representatives of the border agencies of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as the Coordination Service of the Council of Commanders of the CIS Border Troops, the CIS Anti-Terrorism Center, the Executive Committee of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, and the Secretariat and Joint Staff of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) took part in the drills.

"The objective set for the joint exercise has been achieved. During the exercise, issues related to coordination among the joint force units were clarified, competencies in managing interdepartmental forces and assets were enhanced, and joint work between the leadership and officials within the joint headquarters of the group in organizing and conducting practical activities was improved," the FSB emphasized.

The FSB Public Relations Center noted that "the results of the exercise demonstrated the value of advance planning for joint operations along the most vulnerable sections of the external borders of the CIS member states." It added that "the experience gained from the joint exercise has laid a solid foundation for further cooperation and coordination among the border agencies of the Commonwealth of Independent States."