Russia sends another free arms shipment to Tajikistan
The Russian Defense Ministry has sent the Armed Forces of Tajikistan a free shipment of military equipment and weapons worth around $5 million, the Central Military District (CMD) announced in a press statement.
The Tajikistani military held a ceremony in Dushanbe to receive the shipment. The handover took place at the Hisor airport after contingents from member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization completed the Inviolable Brotherhood 2019 exercise.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russia gave the Tajikistani Armed Forces a batch of modernized BRDM-2 armored patrol cars and a radar station to monitor its airspace.
“Today at the Hisor airport another batch of military equipment was presented, which includes a radar station… and upgraded… BRDM-2Ms. This is proven and reliable military equipment, capable of carrying out a broad range of tasks under modern combat conditions. The transferred military products will increase the combat potential of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan and serve to maintain peace and enhance security in the region,” said Central Military District Commander Colonel-General Alexander Lapin, as cited by Interfax.
This is not the first time that Russia has gifted military equipment to Tajikistan. The shipments are being done as part of a program to modernize the Tajikistani Armed Forces in order to enhance the combat capability of Russia’s ally in the Central Asian region. The supplied equipment and weapons are primarily intended to help the country to control its border with Afghanistan, where a large number of terrorist forces are concentrated.