Russia, Belarus To Put Into Operation Unified Anti-aircraft System This Next Summer

The regional anti-aircraft system of Russia and Belarus will become operational no later than in mid June, Russian Air Force Commander Anatoly Kornukov said Thursday while on a routine visit to Minsk. According to Kornukov, Commander of the Belarussian anti-aircraft defense Valery Kostenko will be in charge of the unified regional anti-aircraft defense system. Russia's experts will be also appointed to related senior posts. They will stay in Minsk and, in cooperation with their Belarussian colleagues, will be controlling the anti-aircraft defense forces of Russia and Belarus. These forces will involve in full the anti-aircraft defense facilities of the Baltic fleet, a number of Russia's groupings and the anti-aircraft forces of Belarus. According to Kornukov, as part of the joint anti-aircraft defence project of the Commonwealth of Independent States exercises and joint shooting are to be held in the near future in the area of Kaliningrad (Russia's western enclave), near Chita (Siberia) and on the training ground of Ashuluk near Astrakhan (on the Volga).