MINSK. Sept 8 (Interfax) - Russian fighter aircraft have flown to Belarus for a joint air patrol of the Union State, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said.
"[Sukhoi] Su-30SM aircraft from Russia's Aerospace Force have arrived at the Baranovichi aerodrome for the formation of a joint Belarusian-Russian Air Force and Air Defense training center," the Defense Ministry said on Telegram on Wednesday.
"It is planned that the aviators will carry out joint combat duty to guard the air borders of the Union State," the ministry said.
Still photos released by the ministry show that at least three Russian Su-30SM aircraft have been deployed to Belarus.
The defense ministers of the two countries have agreed to set up three joint training centers, one of which will be in the Grodno region of Belarus, the Russian Defense Ministry said on March 5.
The other two will be in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod and Kaliningrad regions, the Defense Ministry said.