Russia Began Shipping Arms to Azerbaijan for $ 1 Billion
There have begun large supplies of ground weapons from Russia to Azerbaijan by nearly $ 1 billion. They will cause a negative reaction in Armenia, but will help to keep both sides of the conflict, according to the article "Russia arms Azerbaijan" in the newspaper Vedomosti.
On the Internet resource milkavkaz.net on June 15 there were photos of unloading transport tanks and other equipment for the Army in the port, which, according to forum visitors can be shown during a parade in honor of the Day of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan in Baku on 26 of June.
Two sources in the Russian defense industry confirmed the "Vedomosti" that the photos are genuine and reflect a process which began in the spring of overland deliveries of military equipment on a package of contracts with Azerbaijan entered into force in 2011-2012.
According to the source, Vedomosti, it is a contract for three battalions (94 units) T-90S tanks, around three battalions (about 100 units), infantry fighting vehicles BMP-3 Division (18 units), self-propelled artillery pieces "MSTA- C "Division (18 launchers), multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS)" Twister "Division (18 units), self-propelled artillery" Vienna "and the battery (6 units) of heavy flamethrower system TOS-1A" Sunshine "(a new version of the system Buratino (Pinocchio).
Complete with tanks there were purchased armored recovery vehicles ARV-1M and engineering vehicles IMR-3M based on the T-90, and the guns and MLRS launchers bought all the machines needed for maintenance and fire control. In this case, T-90S tanks bought in the most advanced currently standard equipment, including a new modification of the system of optical-electronic suppression (Blind), air conditioning and automatic target tracking. According to the source, "Vedomosti" on tanks and artillery systems than there are contracts and options, including an option for 94 T-90.
The total cost of contracted systems together with ammunition may be, judging by the nomenclature of at least $ 700 million, and probably about $ 1 billion, estimates the source in the Russian Defense Ministry. The representative of "Rosoboronexport" declined to comment, to get comments from the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan failed.
This is not the first major package of arms contracts between Russia and Azerbaijan. In 2010-2011. concluded and almost made contracts for the supply of Azerbaijani armed forces and other security agencies of the two battalions of air defense missile systems S-300PMU-2, a battery air defense systems "Tor-2ME", 60 transport helicopters Mi-17 attack helicopters and 24 Mi -35M for a total of nearly $ 3 billion at the same time, Azerbaijan purchased from Israel missile defense radar, drones and coastal anti-ship missiles worth more than $ 1.6 billion purchase large quantities of weapons (air defense and fighter) in the Ukraine and Belarus, and is interested in purchasing large quantities of the same type, in Russia and Turkey, including weapons (tanks, artillery and attack helicopters).
Any Russian arms supplies to Azerbaijan even on a commercial basis in Armenia cause nervous and painful reaction not only in society but also in the elite, but this reaction does not take into account the fact that Armenia buys weapons from Russia at Russia's domestic prices and the supply of weapons there teeters Russian sales in Azerbaijan, indicates a leading research fellow Alexander Krylov.
Deliveries to Azerbaijan allow Russia to keep the country under its influence and reduce purchases by Baku on the international market, said Krylov.
In this situation it is possible to draw an analogy with the policy of the United States and NATO countries that supply large quantities of weapons antagonists - Egypt and Israel, Greece and Turkey: the dependence of these countries on a single supplier allows the United States and the West to contain conflicts between its customers, says expert at the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, Konstantin Makiyenko. -0 -
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