Six Russian Sukhoi-27 fighter jets and three transport planes have been deployed at Bobruisk airfield in Belarus. Earlier this week Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko invited Russian forces to fend off potential NATO threat.
“In case of continuing build-up of military forces in
countries bordering Belarus, the country will take adequate
response measures,” says a statement from the country’s
Defense Ministry in Minsk.
NATO is sending 12 F-16 craft in Poland, in the wake of the
Crimea crisis, and Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski has
asked for an even greater US presence. Baltic states have also
requested military assistance from NATO.
Just like their NATO counterparts, the Russian aircraft in
Belarus will participate in a joint training exercise.
“The joint air defense system [between Russia and Belarus] is
intended to guarantee collective security in Eastern
Europe,” the Belarusian Defense Ministry said.
