Six Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker fighter jets and three military transport aircraft landed at an airfield in Babruysk, Mahiliou region, on Thursday, one day after Belarus invited Russia to deploy up to 15 additional warplanes in the Belarusian territory in response to increased NATO activity. Thus, at the moment there are 10 Su-27 in the territory of Belarus, 4 of them are standby fighters at Baranavichi airfield.
In Babruysk a Belsat TV crew managed to film Russian air carrier Antonov AN-12:
{movie}Russian military aircraft in Babruysk.|right|15329{/movie}
Russia’s aircraft will be involved on the second stage of the Belarusian army’s operational readiness test, Belarus’s Defense Ministry said. Taking into account this information, Russian fighter jets are not expected to stay in Belarus for long.
At the same time, Belarus will take appropriate measures of reaction in case of further troop buildup in the neighbouring countries, the Ministry officials stressed.
Belarus would ask Russia to deploy 12 to 15 warplanes in its territory in response to increased NATO near our country, President Aliaksandr Lukashenka said on March 12.
