YEKATERINBURG. Dec 14 (Interfax) - Russia's military bases in the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan have been fully re-equipped with modern transport-combat helicopters, the commander of the Central Military District, Alexander Lapin, said.
"Our bases in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have been fully re-armed with modern [Mil] Mi-8MTV5-1 transport-combat helicopters with an upgraded combined guidance and navigation system, an improved onboard defense system, and dome cameras," Lapin said in an interview with the Defense Ministry's Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) newspaper.
In February, Lapin said that a detachment of unmanned aerial vehicles had been formed at the Russian airbase in Kant, Kyrgyzstan.
On February 11, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov announced plans to deploy air defense systems at the Kant airbase.
Interfax reported that late last year Russia reinforced its 201st base in Tajikistan with long-range air defense systems. A battalion armed with S-300PS missile air defense systems (designed by Almaz-Antey) deployed on October 1.