Russia and Belarus agree Su-30 deal
- 8 February 2016
The Russian Deputy Minister of Defence, Major-General Igor Lotenkov, made the announcement that the Su-30s will be provided to the former Soviet republic to replace the MiG-29 'Fulcrum' fighters that it inherited at the end of the Cold War in 1991.
The Su-30 procurement is part of a wider defence deal between Russia and Belarus that will see the latter receive modern combat aircraft in an effort to upgrade its largely Soviet-era inventory. In addition to this high-end fighter type, Belarus has also begun receiving Yakovlev Yak-130 'Mitten' advanced jet trainer/light-attack aircraft it ordered in 2012.
Although now an independent state, Belarus serves as something of a buffer zone between the West and Russia, with all of its military equipment either supplied by or supported by the Kremlin.
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