Russian troops train to repel an imaginary NATO invasion. (They've already prepared the surrender pitch.)

The Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is carrying out military exercises this week in the Pskov and Leningrad regions, where troops are simulating a NATO assault on one of the alliance's member states. The soldiers are reportedly practicing how they'll ask Western invaders to surrender. The news agency RIA Novosti says the troops are drilling with a recorded message in several languages.

In Russian, German, and English, in a woman's voice, the command to surrender says: “NATO soldiers! You are being deceived! You are not peacekeepers! Throw down your weapons! You are fighting on foreign soil. With this treacherous attack, you have broken the peace. You now face the just retribution and anger of a people who have never been defeated in a war. Throw down your weapons, and stop being puppets in the hands of your leaders!”

• The CSTO's “Collective Rapid Reaction Force” began training exercises on August 16. The maneuvers are designed as a response to an imaginary assault against one of CSTO's member states. Fifty Russian aircraft and 6,000 soldiers are taking part in the exercises.