The Russian government has transferred military hardware to Tajikistan to support that country’s security forces.
At a ceremony held this week in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, Russian Central Military District commander Alexander Lapin announced the donation of military equipment worth about RUB320 million ($5 million) to the Tajik military. The ceremony took place after the completion of the Unbreakable Brotherhood-2019 exercises, involving member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
Colonel-General Lapin said in a statement, “Today a new batch of military hardware was presented at the Gissar aerodrome. It includes a radar station capable of detecting, tracking and controlling the use of the national airspace and BRDM-2M armored reconnaissance and patrol vehicles upgraded to the modern level in their class.”
Footage presented by TV Zvezda showed that at least six BRDM-2Ms had been transferred to the Tajik side.
“This is proven and reliable military hardware capable of accomplishing a wide range of missions in modern warfare. The delivered armament will boost the combat potential of the armed forces of the Republic of Tajikistan and contribute to maintaining peace and strengthening security in the region,” Colonel-General Lapin noted.
Though Tajikistan only has a tiny defense budget, limiting its ability to procure military systems to improve its security, Russia has often donated equipment to the CSTO ally, which borders turbulent Afghanistan. The donations help ensure that the Tajik military operates modern hardware.
Colonel-General Lapin said, “The Russian Federation considers Tajikistan as a key ally in the Central Asian region and renders it assistance under the program of modernizing the national armed forces to help strengthen its defense potential.”
Military markets analyst, covering Eurasia, Middle East, and Africa.
