YEKATERINBURG, Middle Urals, June 27 (AVN) - Air Force Commander Anatoly Kornukov introduced the new commander and chief of staff of the 5th air force and air defence army to the army officers here on Wednesday.
The army commander, Lieutenant General Yevgeny Yuryev, was born in Novosibirsk in 1951. He graduated from the Engels higher surface-to-air missile college in 1971, Tver air defence military academy in 1982 and General Staff Academy in 1994. Yuryev has been awarded three orders and 10 medals.
The army's new chief-of-staff is Major General Alexander Belkin.
According to Kornukov, the 5th army is 93 percent established and ready to combat. Its formation started in late 2000. The army will report to the commander of the Volga-Ural military district which is being set up by means of merging the Volga and Ural districts. In addition to it, a bomber aviation regiment, a fighter regiment and an air scout squadron will be established there, Kornukov said.
The Air Force chief stressed that the army protected the very important Central Asian border section.