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Challenging political and military situation is developing in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)’s area of responsibility, with the most unfavorable conditions manifested on the Tajik-Afghan border, Colonel General Anatoly Sidorov, Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, stated on Tuesday, according to TASS news agency report. Sidorov's remarks came at the opening ceremony of the Rubezh-2021 military exercises.

"The political and military situation in the CSTO responsibility zone remains tense. The most disadvantaged situation is in the Central Asian region, which is developing amid the Taliban’s (banned in Russia) takeover of Afghanistan, bordering Tajikistan. A high level of activity of international terrorism and religious extremism also persists in the region," according to Sidorov.

Joint exercises with the Collective Rapid Deployment Forces of the Central Asian region of collective security (CAR CRDF) ‘Rubezh-2021’ started today on the Edelweiss training range in Kyrgyzstan. The participants will practice conducting combat operations to destroy illegal armed formations that have invaded the territory of one of the CSTO countries.