Russia has sent Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets to western Belarus to form a joint military training centre, fly joint missions and patrol the two countries' borders, the Belarusian defence ministry said on Wednesday.
The announcement comes two days before the start of military drills in Belarus and Russia that have prompted consternation in the NATO military alliance and European Union countries.
Belarus has been at loggerheads with the West since President Alexander Lukashenko unleashed a violent crackdown on mass street protests last year. The tensions have pushed Belarus to fall back on traditional ally Russia for financial and diplomatic support. Lukashenko is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday. Earlier this month, Lukashenko said Russiaa huge military hardware consignment to Belarus, including aircraft, helicopters and air defence systems.
The Russian jets "arrived at the Baranovichi airfield to form a joint training centre for the air force and air defence forces of Belarus and Russia," the ministry said in a statement. The statement did not say how many jets landed at Baranovichi.NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg last week
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