Russia's "Center-2026" Strategic Exercise Concludes, Chinese Participating Forces Successfully Complete Exercise Tasks and Depart for Withdrawal

PLA Daily, Chelyabinsk, Russia, October 2 - Reporters Zhang Kejin and Song Zixun report: On October 2 local time, the closing ceremony of the Russian "Center-2026" strategic exercise was held at the Chebarkul training ground in Chelyabinsk, Russia. After several days of joint training, this exercise has come to an end. During the exercise, our participating troops worked alongside forces from Russia, Belarus, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and other countries, focusing on specialized training in intelligence reconnaissance, command and control, fire strikes, and comprehensive support, organizing operational planning and live-action drills, thereby consolidating multilateral traditional friendships and enhancing joint operational capabilities through joint training.

According to the commander of the Chinese participating troops, the Chinese forces were drawn from the Central Theater Command and were deployed to the Chebarkul training area in Russia using a combination of motorized movement, rail transport, and air transport. The participating troops established a three-tier command structure of "Directorate - Joint Operational Command - Task Units," efficiently coordinating and commanding various exercise actions. During the preparation phase of the exercise, the Chinese directorate and joint operational command conducted collaborative training with foreign troops, while the task units focused on training in reconnaissance guidance, coordinated breaching, coordinated attacks, and battlefield first aid, interspersed with activities such as meetings, cultural displays, artistic performances, and sports exchanges. In the implementation phase of the exercise, command drills were first organized, followed by the division of three action phases for live drills, focusing on actions such as three-dimensional reconnaissance, fire strikes, guided entry, multi-directional assaults, and rapid annihilation.

This exercise is characterized by high intensity, rapid rhythm changes, high fire density, long-range mobility, and strong realism. Our participating troops engaged deeply in the exercise from various aspects, including background assumptions and control, operational command, and live drills, reflecting the deep cooperation among all participating parties in joint operational actions. It also served as a test and training of our military's joint operational capabilities. Our participating troops were organized into several groups for assault, fire strikes, engineering support, and information support, adhering to the requirements of field operations, simplicity, and realism, relying on unfamiliar terrain abroad and a multinational collaborative environment to comprehensively test our capabilities in long-range strategic deployment, cross-border logistical support, and joint operational command.

After completing the mission of participating in the "Center-2026" strategic exercise, the Chinese participating troops began to withdraw from the Chebarkul training ground. The withdrawing troops will use air and rail transport to gradually return to their home country for reorganization. After the withdrawal and reorganization, the Chinese participating troops will focus on their mission tasks, summarizing experiences and identifying shortcomings in areas such as multinational joint operational planning, joint live actions, long-distance cross-border deployment, coordination of live actions, and political work, effectively enhancing joint operational command and the troops' combat capabilities.

Source: PLA Daily