CSTO launches joint military drills in Belarus with 1,500 troops

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russia-led military bloc, has begun joint military exercises in Belarus involving over 1,500 personnel, 300+ equipment pieces, and 80 drones. This is a routine display of bloc cohesion but occurs amid heightened regional tensions, signaling continued Russian military alignment with Belarus. The drills reinforce the CSTO's posture near NATO's eastern flank, though no direct escalation is indicated.