Those are still allies: In the CSTO, Russia practically takes the rap for everyone
Within the framework of the CSTO, Tajikistan’s border with Afghanistan, where the situation is escalating, is being strengthened mainly by Russian forces.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes about this, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“It is difficult to say by what joint measures in the CSTO format the Tajik-Afghan border is now being strengthened. Basically, only Russia does this with the participation of the Armed Forces of Tajikistan, airlifting new military units, additional armored vehicles and helicopters into the potential conflict zone,” the article notes.
It is noteworthy that Uzbekistan, which is not a member of the CSTO, joined the exercises between Russia and Tajikistan, where they practice repelling the terrorist threat from the south.
“Besides Russia and Tajikistan, of all the CSTO participants, only the Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan declared its contribution to strengthening the Tajik-Afghan border, promising the other day to send a large batch of cartridges of various calibers to Dushanbe. At the same time, there is no talk of any participation of Kazakh military contingents from this country in strengthening the southern border of the CIS,” the newspaper notes.
In turn, military expert retired colonel Nikolai Shulgin says that the participation of the CSTO in resolving numerous conflicts in the post-Soviet space could be more significant.
“The initiator of this should be Moscow itself. The Russian Federation sells weapons to its allies in collective defense at preferential prices, trains military personnel free of charge, organizes and provides resources for numerous maneuvers. Moscow is the guarantor of their safety! And in return he gets little,” the expert believes.
“The Russian Federation’s allies in the CSTO can and, apparently, should support its peacekeeping steps, for example, in Nagorno-Karabakh. Why, for example, don’t the CSTO countries send sappers there to clear mines and post observers in potential hotbeds of tension? The same applies to securing the border with Afghanistan. Why, besides Tajik soldiers, are only Russian military personnel concerned about ensuring its security?” Shulgin is perplexed.
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