Tajikistan: CIS military exercises rehearse “suppression of revolution”

Kommersant, Moscow
4 Apr 05

Text of report by Ivan Safronov: “Bishkek as in the Days of Frunze.
CIS Military Training in Counterrevolutionary Struggle, Using the
Example of Kyrgyzstan”, published by the Russian newspaper Kommersant
on 4 April:

The active phase of the Rubezh-2005 [Border] Collective Security
Treaty Organization command-staff exercises starts in Tajikistan
today. Originally it was planned to hold these manoeuvres in
Kyrgyzstan, but because of the events we all know about they were
switched to Tajikistan. The scenario for the exercises was also
changed. Effectively Rubezh-2005 is a rehearsal for the possible
suppression of a revolution in the CIS, bearing in mind events
in Bishkek.

Following the events in Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation
Defence Ministry had intended to postpone holding the Rubezh-2005
command-staff exercises, but a week ago Vladimir Putin ordered that
the exercises should not be put back (they are going ahead from 2
through 6 April). The scenario for the manoeuvres has combat actions
unfolding in a mountain location between “Reds” and “Blues.” The
former will comprise army subunits from the Collective Security
Treaty Organization countries, and they will be opposed by armed
international terrorist formations.

Kommersant has discovered that the manoeuvres will play out one
possible scenario for developing events reminiscent of what happened
recently in Kyrgyzstan: The “Blues” will take advantage of popular
discontent over the results of a recent election to try to seize
power, while the “Reds” plan to “work through issues relating to a
decision to use force and collective security resources to defend the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Tajikistan, the planning
and preparation of the joint operation, and the organization of
collaboration, comprehensive provisioning, and control.” Meanwhile
ITAR-TASS had reported back on 28 March, citing the Russian Federation
Defence Ministry Information and Public Liaison Directorate, that “the
Rubezh-2005 manoeuvres are in no way connected with the situation
in Kyrgyzstan and were planned in advance in accordance with the
Collective Security Treaty Organization collective rapid deployment
forces training plan.”

Kommersant’s information is that subunits from the armed forces of
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan totalling around 3,000
men in all (the entire collective rapid deployment forces, which are
headquartered in Bishkek, incidentally, number 4,000 servicemen),
which form part of the collective rapid deployment forces, will be
brought into action. The command of the forces will be in the hands
of Tajikistan’s defence minister, Col-Gen Sherali Khayrulloyev. The
Armenian and Belarusian military have been involved only in planning
the exercises, and they will act as observers hereafter.

The exercises will conclude on 6 April with combat firing on the
Eshakmaydan [name as transliterated] range in southern Tajikistan.
According to an ITAR-TASS report, Russian Federation Defence
Minister Sergey Ivanov and the heads of the other Collective Security
Treaty Organization countries’ military departments will be coming
to Tajikistan to observe the concluding phase of the manoeuvres.
Meanwhile today, according to Kommersant’s information, the subunits
involved in the exercises will stage a dress rehearsal for the “battle”
planned for 6 April, which will be attended by General of the Army
Vladimir Boldyrev, commander of the Volga-Urals Military District
and responsible for the Central Asian strategic area at the Defence
Ministry, who has come to Tajikistan from Yekaterinburg.