#6588
#2 - JRL 6588
Russian Jets Roar Over Kyrgyzstan Base
December 5, 2002
By BURT HERMAN
KANT AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan (AP) - Soaring in formation before separating amid a blossom of flares, Russian warplanes put on a show of force Thursday above a Kyrgyz air base that is to be Moscow's answer to the heightened U.S. presence in Central Asia.
In a private air show for visiting Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, three Su-27 fighters screamed across the cold skies above Kant air base about 18 miles east of the capital Bishkek, the planned future home of a rapid-reaction force under a treaty signed by a group of former Soviet republics.
Later Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin is to arrive in Bishkek for talks with Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev, and the two are expected to sign a series of agreements including one to bolster security cooperation.
At Kant, the Russian planes - also including two Il-76 transport aircraft and two Su-25 ground attack fighters that arrived from Tajikistan during Ivanov's visit - are testing the facilities for the eventual permanent deployment of forces under the Collective Security Treaty, whose members include Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
The deployment is Moscow's first significant military response in Central Asia to the presence of U.S.-led troops in Kyrgyzstan and in neighboring Uzbekistan.
Ivanov said a final decision on the forces to be based at Kant will be made at a May summit of presidents of the treaty member countries, but that the facilities were sufficient for Russian Su-25 and Su-27 aircraft.
Ivanov strongly denied Russian media reports that Moscow needed to pay as much as $300 million to base the planes here. Although declining to name an exact figure, he said it would be an ``insignificant amount of money for Russia.''
The forces will be deployed in the fight against international terrorism, Ivanov said, without naming any specific threats.
``Security in Central Asia directly affects security in Russia,'' he said, noting that Afghanistan is nearby and that the situation there is still unstable.
Also sitting on the tarmac at Kant was a group of Kyrgyz aircraft - four Il-35 Albatross fighters, two Mi-8 helicopters and an An-26 transport plane - that are also slated to be part of the rapid-reaction force. They last saw action in summer 2000 during an incursion in southern Kyrgyzstan by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a terrorist group closely allied with al-Qaida.
``As a pilot, I can say that it's ready. Maybe there's some technical details to be done, but it seems ready,'' said Col. Vasily Pinchuk, stepping down from his Su-27 after the aerobatic show.
Still, the facilities at Kant have a long way to go to come close to what the U.S.-led anti-terrorist coalition has built at Manas airport, about 22 miles to the west.
There, about 20 F-16 fighters from the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway sit on a special moveable tarmac brought by coalition forces. The majority of the about 25 aircraft based there are for operations in Afghanistan. Temporary barracks house some 2,000 troops. There are entertainment centers with pool tables and video games, and a base shop that even accepts credit cards.
At Kant, dozens of dormant Mig-21 fighters sat in disuse near the Russian arrivals. In the maintenance hangar, paintings of the Soviet flag still emblazon the walls. Kyrgyz defense officials said some of the soldiers to be stationed here may stay in Bishkek hotels.
Still, the Kyrgyz troops are anxious to work, with Kyrgyz Defense Minister Esen Topoyev telling Ivanov at the base that ``people are waiting.''
The Russian planes at Kant are due to depart back to their home bases in the coming days, with different crews rotating into the area over the next months ahead of their permanent deployment.
Back to the Top Next Article
- Back to the Top -