Participants in CSTO Barrier 2026 Drills Carry Dangerous Disease Outbreak

Military specialists and civilian medical personnel worked together to identify patients showing symptoms of infectious diseases.

Minsk, October 15. /TASS/. The press service of the Ministry of Defense of Belarus reported in Telegram that as part of the special exercise Barrier 2026, military personnel of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) practiced providing medical services in the event of a large outbreak of a dangerous infectious disease.

According to the ministry, at Starodorozhskaya Central District Hospital, an NBC joint medical protection and support unit provides medical care in the event of a large-scale infectious disease outbreak. A patient screening area and an observation area have been established on the hospital grounds. A disinfection station for medical transport has also been established. The hospital is enhanced with a PCR laboratory provided by the National Center for Epidemiology and Public Health. Military specialists and civilian medical personnel work together to identify patients with symptoms of infectious diseases.

According to Alexander Malyukh, head of the military medical department of the Ministry of Defense of Belarus, medical personnel have shown high readiness to identify biological threats, conduct reconnaissance operations, implement sanitary and anti-epidemic measures, and provide medical care to patients with infectious diseases. A unit of the joint force has been deployed in one of the medical centers of the Ministry of Health, where its team of doctors and nurses is completing the capacity of this center to provide medical care.

We place special emphasis on cooperation between the military and civilian healthcare systems through patient treatment and clinical and laboratory testing. Carrying out such activities with the participation of specialists from other countries represents a wonderful exchange of experience for medical professionals from different countries. The health and epidemiological situation in these countries should be taken into account, according to the press service of this ministry, citing Malyukh. He noted that the experience gained from the establishment of the joint unit in the territory of Belarus can be used in the future to fight against infectious diseases.

According to the ministry, the personnel of the NBC CSTO joint medical protection and support unit have established a reception and diagnosis unit at the Starodorezhsky training ground. It is designed to provide care for patients with serious or suspected serious infections. The staff of this unit carry out procedures to identify patients with suspected viral infections, isolate them and transfer them to a specialized medical center. This is done under strict anti-epidemic protocols. This primary triage and isolation unit provides qualified medical care, PCR-based laboratory diagnosis, containment measures, disinfection, and disposal of biohazardous waste.

On October 11, the exercise of the command and staff of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Indestructible Brotherhood 2026 and Dam 2026 began in Belarus. They include more than 1500 military personnel and 300 pieces of weapons, military hardware and specialized equipment. In this exercise, military groups (collective forces) from CSTO member states: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan participate. These include the military forces, units of the internal affairs institutions and the National Guard, as well as the task forces of the Joint Staff and the Secretariat of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The Russian military group consists mainly of units of the combined arms army of the Central Military District.