CSTO Deputy Secretary General: The situation is particularly tense on the western borders

Countering terrorism and extremism, combating drug trafficking, and the involvement of youth in destructive movements. On June 9, a meeting of heads of intelligence agencies and counterterrorism units of the CIS countries is taking place in Moscow.

Learn how the sharp deterioration of the international situation is affecting security in the Commonwealth countries? And what threats are the western borders of the Union State facing?

As the meeting participants noted, the global situation today is far from stable. CIS countries are increasingly facing political and economic pressure. The West and the EU have openly resorted to the language of war and terrorist methods of pressure.

The meeting began with a discussion of the complex military and political situation in the Middle East. Thanks to Washington's support, Israeli aggression against Palestine and Iran could lead the entire world to a global catastrophe. Energy supply cuts, attacks on critical infrastructure, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people from devastated cities—all of this directly leads to a humanitarian crisis, as Libya and Iraq have already experienced, and creates favorable conditions for terrorist groups. Unfortunately, this sharp deterioration in the international situation also directly impacts security in the Commonwealth countries. In 2025 alone, more than 2,500 terrorist and extremist crimes were prevented in the CIS. These include over 300 attempted terrorist attacks, over 100 crimes related to the financing of terrorism, and nearly 2,000 crimes related to the spread of radical ideology. As the participants noted, terrorism has become a weapon in many political and economic issues in some countries.

Valery Semerikov, Deputy Secretary General of the CSTO:

"The situation is particularly tense on our western borders. And you know perfectly well why. It's connected to the Baltics, it's connected to Ukraine, it's connected to Poland, which surrounds us. Ultimately, it's connected to NATO, which is expanding its infrastructure, creating additional troop groups, and conducting numerous exercises for various categories of NATO troops and individual EU member states. So, naturally, we're keeping all of this in mind. This issue is being discussed at all levels. Naturally, we've received specific instructions on how to further respond to the crisis."

Another important topic of the meeting was the recruitment of young people from CIS countries into terrorist groups. Minors are lured into this dangerous game through illegal communication channels, so-called SIM boxes. They are promised anonymity and good earnings. However, many teenagers don't realize they are becoming victims of manipulation from abroad and are committing serious crimes.

Evgeny Sysoev, Head of the CIS Anti-Terrorism Center:

"Young people, on the one hand, are susceptible to injustice and social inequality, but on the other hand, they lack life experience. Therefore, due to these circumstances, young people are vulnerable, and children are doubly and triply vulnerable. They have even less life experience and are unaware of the potentially harmful criminal consequences of the activities they are drawn into."

In October, the conference participants will meet in Belarus. Minsk will host the 4th Counter-Terrorism Forum. It will bring together representatives from more than 30 countries. The main topics of discussion will be the fight against terrorist financing and information security.