Moscow: Russia’s air force has been ordered to prepare for a “time of war”. President Vladimir Putin has put the air force on high alert, the latest in a series of drills amid tensions with the West. Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu said that the drills launched on Tuesday will check the air force’s readiness and its ability to repel an enemy aggression. “In accordance with the decision by the Armed Forces Supreme Commander, a snap check of the Aerospace Forces began to evaluate readiness of the control agencies and troops to carry out combat training tasks,” he said, according to TASS.
“Special attention should be paid to combat alert, deployment of air defense systems for a time of war and air groupings’ readiness to repel the aggression,” Shoigu added. The maneuvers are the latest in a steady series of war games intended to strengthen the troops’ readiness. Despite Russia’s economic downturn, the Kremlin has continued to spend big on military training and weapons modernisation amid tensions with the West over the Ukrainian crisis. The country has been increasing movement of its military including the launch of the biggest Arctic military push since the fall of the Soviet Union, last month. The preparations come amid increasing concern about tensions between Russia and many of the world’s largest superpowers.
Meanwhile, US military hardware, including M1A2 Abrams battle tanks and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, arrived in the northern Estonian town of Tapa as part of continued US efforts to counter the alleged Russian threat, RT reported. While Nato members continue to point toward perceived “Russian aggression,” calling it “a source of instability,” Russia has consistently denied that it poses any kind of threat. Moscow has also expanded its own military training and increased its strategic capabilities in areas such as Kaliningrad, its western exclave, it said. Russia had tried to ease tensions by proposing enhanced cooperation with Nato in August.
