Russia uses CSTO to strengthen influence over Central Asia

Russia’s government used a November 11 summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in Moscow to advance military cooperation with Central Asian nations. Established in 2002, the csto gives Russian President Vladimir Putin a formal framework for exercising military leadership over five former Soviet republics: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan (though Armenia froze its participation in 2024). At yesterday’s meeting, member nations agreed to develop the organization’s collective aviation force and establish mobile air defense units for joint military operations, and they reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening military cooperation and security along the organization’s borders. Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has warned for years that Putin will assert control over former Soviet nations in future wars. The csto appears to be one of the principal instruments through which Putin is establishing that control.