Itar-Tass
March 12, 2014
Belarus plans air defence boost
MINSK: Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko endorsed the proposals of the country’s Defence Ministry to boost air defences of the Belarusian state. Defence Minister Yuri Zhadobin stated this on Wednesday after the Security Council meeting that discussed the preliminary results of the first stage of the Belarusian Armed Forces combat preparedness check.
“These results on the whole have been approved,” the minister said. “The head of state also made an instruction to check the plan of interaction within unified regional air defences of Belarus and Russia for redeployment to the Belarusian territory of some 12 Russian planes, which will be done shortly,” the minister said.
Zhadobin posted the head of state on the military-political and military-strategic situation close to Belarusian borders, mentioning, specifically, preparation for NATO aerial exercise, for which purpose six planes arrived at an airfield in Lithuania, bringing the number of the warplanes to ten. Twelve warplanes will fly to an airfield in Poland for the exercise.
Lukashenko was also posted on the results of the first stage of a random check of combat preparedness of the Belarusian Armed Forces, after which he pointed to the expediency of the second stage of the check.
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Belarusian Telegraph Agency
March 12, 2014
Redeployment of Russian jet fighters to Belarusian airfields authorized
MINSK: The decision to redeploy Russian jet fighters to Belarusian airfields was made on 12 March with approval of the Russian side, BelTA learned from Oleg Dvigalev, Chief of the Air Force and Air Defense of the Belarusian Armed Forces.
“Today I was instructed to take care of bolstering the on-duty forces of the Belarus-Russia united air defense system. The joint action plans provide for relocating the air force component of Belarus to Russian airfields and for relocating Russian air force units to Belarusian airfields,” said Oleg Dvigalev. “Acting in line with the regulation on the united air defense system I have started the work on increasing the on-duty air defense forces in the Belarusian territory. The decision to redeploy Russian jet fighters to Belarusian airfields was made today with approval of the Russian side,” noted the officer.
He told media about how the joint combat alert duty for air defense purposes will be carried out using both home airfields and the airfields inspected during the first phase of the Belarusian army’s operational readiness test. “The airfields are ready to receive aircraft. We have already performed combat alert duty missions together with Russians in our territory since December 2013. Two personnel shifts are over already,” said Oleg Dvigalev. He explained that the Russian component was also involved during the first phase of the Belarusian army’s operational readiness test. According to the Air Force and Air Defense Chief, the task involves no complications and will be carried out. “The patrolling of the Belarusian air space will be taken care of as well as interaction between Russian and Belarusian crews, the relocation to new airfields and the mastery of the Belarusian air space on the whole,” said Oleg Dvigalev.
The officer reminded that an operational readiness test of the Belarusian army began in January 2014. “During the first phase the air force and air defense troops were most vigorously involved in the test: the relocation of troops to new areas was practiced as well as the relocation of air force units to new airfields, the handling of control targets and violators of the air space regulations. Every day the number of army units and control bodies, which are engaged in the test, increases,” said Oleg Dvigalev.
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