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Russia Rehearses Seizing Territory of Central Asian Neighbor in Massive 47,000-Troop War Games
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Russia rehearsed an offensive into the territory of a neighboring Central Asian state and the creation of a “security zone” there during the Center-2026 military exercises, which involved more than 47,000 personnel across multiple training grounds and the Caspian Sea.
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According to Interfax on October 2, Russian forces practiced repelling an attack in the South Ural direction before switching to offensive operations intended to retake captured territory and establish a security zone on neighboring land.
“The coalition grouping of forces is repelling the main attack in the South Ural direction, has restored the situation, and since October 2 has been conducting offensive operations to liberate the captured territory and create a security zone on adjacent territory,” Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov told Russian leader Vladimir Putin during the exercises.
Russian officials did not identify the neighboring state involved in the scenario. Kazakhstan, however, is the only Central Asian country that shares a land border with Russia. It directly borders Russia’s Chelyabinsk region, where the main stage of Center-2026 was held, and also has access to the Caspian Sea, where another part of the exercises took place.
The drills ran from September 28 through October 3 and involved more than 47,000 military personnel across 11 training grounds and the Caspian Sea, according to Russian officials. Around 2,000 pieces of military equipment, 90 aircraft and helicopters, and 77 warships and support vessels were involved in the exercises.
At the Chebarkul training ground in the Chelyabinsk region, Russian forces deployed tanks, motorcycles, artillery, drones, aircraft, and other military equipment. A T-14 Armata tank was among the systems demonstrated during the exercises.
The Caspian Flotilla simultaneously conducted an anti-landing operation, while four Russian long-range aircraft practiced strikes against what the exercise scenario described as critical enemy infrastructure.
Military contingents from Belarus, China, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, and Tajikistan also participated in Center-2026. Kazakhstan was represented during the exercises by an operational group.
Putin attended the drills at the Chebarkul training ground on October 2. Russian officials said units directly participating in Russia’s war against Ukraine were not deployed for the exercises, although the training incorporated battlefield experience gained during the invasion.
More than 2,000 Russian personnel who had fought in Ukraine participated in Center-2026, according to Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yevkurov, while equipment previously used on the battlefield was also incorporated into the drills.
The Center-2026 scenario therefore extended beyond defending Russian territory: after repelling the simulated attack, Russian-led forces were tasked with crossing into neighboring territory and establishing a security zone there.
Earlier, Ukrainian intelligence reported that Russia planned to train around 600 Chinese troops in 2025 using battlefield experience gained during its war against Ukraine. The program reportedly focused on tank warfare, artillery, air defense, and combat engineering, marking a broader expansion of military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing.
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