Moscow: Russia said on Monday strengthened its military base in Tajikistan with 30 new tanks and that her troops at the facility had been training with the missile defense system, highlighting Moscow’s concern about chaos in Afghanistan.
The possibility of Islamic militants in Afghanistan infiltrated Tajikistan and the other former Soviet Republic in Central Asia was a concern for Moscow, who viewed the area as a defensive buffer in the south.
Russian forces on Monday practiced expelling enemy air strikes against military facilities using its S-300ps system, the Interfax news agency quoted the Ministry of Defense.
The base on the former Soviet Tajikistan, the largest Russia outside its own border, simulated 10 missile launches against air targets as part of the exercise, the ministry said.
“A batch 30 T-72B3M tank which is enhanced with enhanced combat characteristics will arrive to prepare the 201st Russian military base placed in Tajikistan on December 6,” he said.
Russia held a large-scale military training with its allies near the Tajik-Afghan border in October after the United States and its allies pulled the troops from Afghanistan and the Taliban swept power.