Russian Military Bases in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

MOSCOW, July 30 (RIA Novosti) - Tajikistan wants Russia to start paying to use a military base on its territory and also wants Russian border guards deployed in the country to leave, a leading business daily reported on Thursday.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is due to arrive in Tajikistan on a two-day official visit on Thursday to discuss bilateral military cooperation, the status of the Russian language in Tajikistan, as well as energy issues.

Kommersant reported that the issue of paying rent for the 201st military base had been raised by Tajikistan to try and find a bargaining chip with Russia in exchange for financial support amid the global economic downturn. Tajikistan has been badly hit by the slump in global prices for its main exports, cotton and aluminum.

"Threats of changing the status of our [military] base onto a paid basis...and other steps [President Emomali] Rakhmon has made, create objects for bartering with Russia, which he hopes he can swap for grants and loans," the department director of the Central Asian Institute, Andrei Grozin, was quoted as saying by the daily.

Grozin said that the collapse of Tajikistan's main exports has made the situation so dire, that Rakhmon has urged Tajiks to store up a two-year supply of food in preparation for hard times.

Russia currently deploys a military base near the Tajik capital, Dushanbe. The base is home to the 5,000-strong 201st motorized infantry division. It was established in 2005 to provide assistance to Tajik border guards protecting the Tajik-Afghan border.

Dushanbe is also threatening to ban the use of Russian in public institutions and official documents after criticizing journalists for their poor knowledge of Tajik. Rakhmon has said the ban will promote the development of Tajik and bolster patriotism in the country.

In the Soviet period, Russian was the lingua franca among the various ethnic groups in Tajikistan and other ex-Soviet republics. Many ethnic Russians have left Tajikistan since the breakup of the Soviet Union and the ensuing civil war, but Russian is still spoken by much of the indigenous population.

Russian is still an official language in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and it is also widely spoken in Ukraine and some other parts of the former Soviet Union.

Loans are fine, I don't think we should be giving them money for a base we really don't need.

Vladislav wrote:Loans are fine, I don't think we should be giving them money for a base we really don't need.

By the year 1997 Russia saved Tajikistan ass from invading talibans from witch they could not defend themselves ...

So Russia had a right response to just withdrawn from state and left it to the talibans as they where never exactly totaly destroyed.

Viktor wrote:

Vladislav wrote:Loans are fine, I don't think we should be giving them money for a base we really don't need.

By the year 1997 Russia saved Tajikistan ass from invading talibans from witch they could not defend themselves ...

So Russia had a right response to just withdrawn from state and left it to the talibans as they where never exactly totaly destroyed.

I just don't see the need for a base in Tajikistan when they are going to do oil and gas deals with Western companies. Now they want us to pay for something we don't even want?!?

Russian defense minister says Tajik base still under discussion

RIA Novosti

17:32 22/10/2009 MOSCOW, October 22 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's defense minister said on Thursday the issue of paying rent for a Russian military base in Tajikistan was still being discussed.

"We have considered two issues - either to continue using the base in the current form or on a paying basis," Anatoly Serdyukov told reporters after talks between the countries' presidents, adding that it was too early to discuss specific figures.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmon held talks in the Kremlin earlier in the day.

Serdyukov said the parties were discussing the possibility of the base's paid use by Russia only after 2014.

In September, the Tajik Defense Ministry denied asking Russia to pay $300 million in rent for the base.

The 201st Base, Russia's largest base abroad, was established in October 2004, following a deal signed by President Rahmon and the then Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

The base has about 7,000 personnel, comprising three motorized infantry regiments, a self-propelled artillery regiment, an anti-aircraft missile regiment, and a combat helicopter group.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2009/10/mil-091022-rianovosti04.htm

Russia to discuss rent for military facilities in Kyrgyzstan
RIA Novosti

16:08 23/10/2009 MOSCOW, October 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has instructed the government to conduct negotiations with Kyrgyzstan on rental payment for Russian military facilities in the Central Asian country in 2009.

Based on the results of the talks, the Russian Defense Ministry will conclude protocol with the Kyrgyz military.

Kyrgyzstan currently hosts a Russian airbase in Kant, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) outside the capital, Bishkek, a naval communications center in the village of Chaldovar in the Chui region, and a naval testing site near the city of Karakol, 380 km (240 miles) from Bishkek.

The Russian Defense Ministry also maintains an automated seismic station in Ichke-Suu (Issyk-Kul region) and a radioseismic laboratory in Mailuu-Sai, which are part of the unified automated system designed to detect the testing and use of nuclear weapons around the world, as well as earthquakes.

The airbase in Kant was opened in 2003. Some 250 Russian officers and 150 enlisted personnel from Russia's 5th Air Army are deployed at the base, as well as Su-25 Frogfoot strike aircraft and Mi-8 transport helicopters.

Russia has so far paid annually some $4.5 million to Kyrgyzstan for military bases and also provided Bishkek with military and technical equipment as part of the lease agreements.

Russia and Kyrgyzstan signed in August a new memorandum on Russian military presence in Kyrgyzstan.

In line with the memorandum, the republic will extend the lease of the airbase in Kant for 49 years with an automatic extension every 25 years.

Kyrgyzstan will also host an additional Russian military contingent the size of up to a battalion and a training center in Kyrgyzstan's southern Batken region on the similar terms.

A definitive agreement detailing the status of the proposed base and Russia's existing Kant base is expected to be signed by November.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2009/10/mil-091023-rianovosti03.htm

Russia's military airbase in Kyrgyzstan put on high alert

RIA Novosti

08/04/201002:28

MOSCOW, April 8 (RIA Novosti) - Russian airbase in Kyrgyzstan has been put on high alert in the wake of an unrest in the Central Asian country that left at least 47 people killed and some 400 injured, a source in the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"Due to the unrest in Bishkek military servicemen at the airbase in Kant have been put on high alert. Permission to leave the base has been restricted for the servicemen," he said.

Protests, initiated in by the country's opposition began in the northwestern Kyrgyz town of Talas on Tuesday spreading to other regions of the country, including the capital Bishkek, on Wednesday. Opposition has declared that it assumed full power in Kyrgyzstan.

The source added that no incidents have so far been registered near the Russian airbase, which is located some 20 kilometers (12 miles) outside Bishkek.

The airbase in Kant was opened in 2003. Some 250 Russian officers and 150 enlisted personnel from Russia's 5th Air Army are deployed at the base, as well as Su-25 Frogfoot strike aircraft and Mi-8 transport helicopters.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/russia/2010/russia-100408-rianovosti11.htm

Russia sends paratroopers to its airbase in Kyrgyzstan - General Staff

RIA Novosti

08/04/201016:13

PRAGUE, April 8 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has sent some 150 paratroopers to its Kant airbase in the ex-Soviet Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan to ensure the safety of families of Russian military staff, the General Staff chief Nikolay Makarov said.

"The president has decided to send two companies of paratroopers there and some 150 people have arrived in Kant," Makarov, who is with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Prague for the signing of a new arms cut deal, said.

Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has fled capital Bishkek for southern Kyrgyzstan, his powerbase, amid violent protests by opposition in which 74 people were killed and over 500 injured.

A new provisional government led by former foreign minister, Roza Otunbayeva, said it now controlled the situation in four out of seven regions. But Otunbayeva also said Bakiyev was trying to rally his supporters and organize his comeback.

In a clear gesture of support for the new government, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin earlier on Thursday spoke on the phone with Otunbayeva, who asked Moscow for economic assistance. Putin said Russia was ready to offer humanitarian aid.

Russia is the leading political and economic partner of Kyrgyzstan and jealously watches for any efforts by the West to establish its influence in the country. Along with Russia, the United States has a military base in Kyrgyzstan.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/russia/2010/russia-100408-rianovosti06.htm

Kyrgyzstan ready to open Russian, U.S. antiterrorism training centers

RIA Novosti

12:18 15/03/2011 BISHKEK, March 15 (RIA Novosti) - Kyrgyzstan is ready to open both a Russian and U.S antiterrorism training center, President Roza Otunbayeva said on Tuesday.

"Two objects may be created, both U.S. and Russian," Otunbayeva said. "There is nothing bad in this, we should be pragmatists," she continued. "We are ready to get instructions on fighting terrorism, we have no experience in these issues," she added.

"[Some] constantly try to oppose these countries on our territory," Otunbayeva said. "In Europe and in the United States, I was asked about the relations with Russia," she said. "There is no doubt that Russia is our strategic partner and ally," she said, adding that apart from Russia and the United States, other countries also help to ensure security in the Central Asian country.

Otunbayeva, who came to power amid large-scale protests that ousted former Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev in April last year, was approved as the country's new leader in a referendum in June.

The political situation in Kyrgyzstan stabilized after the country elected a new parliament and approved Otunbayeva as president for a transitional period until 2012.

Kyrgyzstan hosts a U.S. transit center on the territory of Manas Airport in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. The base serves as a major transit point for supplying troops in Afghanistan. It also hosts a fleet of coalition aerial tankers for fighters' refueling and surveillance aircraft used in Afghanistan.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2011/03/mil-110315-rianovosti01.htm

Tajikistan repeats call for Russia to pay for military base

RIA Novosti

12:49 18/07/2011 DUSHANBE, July 18 (RIA Novosti) - Dushanbe reiterated on Monday that Russia should pay rent for its military base in Tajikistan, a request that has been rejected by Moscow.

"Russia is our important strategic partner," Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi told journalists in the Tajik capital, but "our land cannot be free; it has its price, and no one can use it without paying."

Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic, asked Russia several years ago to pay rent for its military base created in 2005, and the Ayni airport that Russia plans to start operating in line with an agreement signed in 2008.

"Currently, the two sides' positions do not allow for the preparation of agreements on Russia's military base and the Ayni airport," the minister said.

He added, however, that talks between Dushanbe and Moscow on the issue would continue.

"Negotiations are taking place in a constructive spirit, without a rush and unnecessary emotions," Zarifi said.

A total of 7,000 Russian troops are serving at three Russian military units in Dushanbe, the southwestern city of Qurgonteppa some 100 km from Dushanbe, and Kulob, about 200 km to the southwest of the capital. Russian troops in Tajikistan constitute the country's largest ground force deployed abroad.

An agreement between Moscow and Dushanbe on the use of the Ayni airport just outside the capital has not come into force as Moscow has refused to pay the requested rent, which Tajikistan have put at $300 million a year, according to Tajik government sources quoted by the press.

Moscow and Dushanbe are currently in talks on the joint use of the airport.

Media reports said that Tajikistan has also been in talks with Washington on a possible lease of the airport, which the United States view as a possible hub for supplying U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The Tajik authorities have denied the allegations, saying that talks on the airport are only being held with Russia.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2011/07/mil-110718-rianovosti02.htm

how did we get the base for free in the first place? strange

if they want 300mil (nearly 1/4 of ther yearly state budged) what a redicules demand, a big part of ther economy is based on ther dirty tajik citizen working in russia steeling work from russians and sending home money, and then they want 300 million a year which is nearly 25% of ther countrys budged just to illustrate the size in comperison to ther poor shithole country

we should offer them 12mil a year with joint use and if they say no then to hell with them, fuck this base why we need it in the first place

LOL this is most funny cozz VDV save their ass from taliban invasion on early 90ies and formed that base.

If they want to kick Russian base it would be very interesting since things would

likely go back to where they where in early 90ies specially after 2014 once NATO

forces retreat.

Russia to extend lease of Tajikistan military base

RIA Novosti

18:40 02/09/2011 DUSHANBE, September 2 (RIA Novosti) - The presidents of Russia and Tajikistan agreed to prepare in early 2012 an agreement extending Russia's lease of a military base in Tajikistan by 49 years.

Moscow and Dushanbe are currently in talks on the continued market-based lease of a base in Tajikistan by the Russian military. Talks to extend the lease beyond 2014 were held at the working-group level in August.

"We agreed to instruct our departments that a new forward-looking agreement for 49 years should be prepared for signing in the first quarter of the next year," Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said.

In exchange, Russia will provide Tajikistan’s army with up-to-date weaponry, a source within the Russian Defense Ministry said.

He added that the presidents have also agreed to sign a new agreement on the joint use of Ayni airport near Dushanbe.

Medvedev and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmon confirmed their determination to finalize the deal in the agreed timeframe.

A total of 7,000 Russian troops are serving at three Russian military units in Dushanbe, the southwestern city of Qurgonteppa some 100 km from Dushanbe, and Kulob, about 200 km to the southwest of the capital. Russian troops in Tajikistan constitute Moscow's largest ground force deployed abroad.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2011/09/mil-110902-rianovosti02.htm

Be interesting what they mean by up to date in terms of weaponry.

This could be an opportunity to solve some potential problems in armour purchases over the next few years.

Right now the cheapest option for the Russian military is to upgrade T-72s and buy a few T-90AMs till the Armatas are ready for production, but the problem there is that you end up with three different levels of tank.

An upgraded T-72 is a good tank, so maybe Tajikistan might consider used T-72s that have been upgraded up to date weaponry?

Hopefully the Armatas will have little foreign content so their costs will be reduced, but they will never be "cheap" tanks.

This is still unofficial but apparently they're getting the whole lot...aircraft, helicopters, tanks, BMPT...

(translated excerpt)

The extension of the base rental period for 49 years to be included in a joint plan to improve the combat readiness and rearmament of the Tajik Army.

"We agreed to extend the lease for 49 years. The parameters of the agreement provide that we train and arm the Tajik army with modern weaponry to make it a modern and efficient force" - said the source.

According to unofficial sources, as rent for the air base, "Aini" the Russian Federation will supply Tajikistan with combat helicopters, combat-capable trainer aircraft, communications and command and control systems, army air defense systems, a few hundred T-90S and T-90MS tanks (probably typo) BMPT "Terminator", Modernized BMP and armored personnel carriers, as well as patrol boats.

http://gurkhan.blogspot.com/2011/09/blog-post_3691.html

If they are giving them brand new stuff then it would probably be cheaper just to give them $20 million a year for the base.

Giving them slightly outdated but still useful gear would have given the Army etc a place to send their upgraded stuff when their new stuff comes...

This would be the perfect way to get rid of some T-72/80 tanks, BTR-70/80, Mi-24, etc .... and get those base for free. Than charge them upgrades. Dont believe they gona get thos modern weapons after all.

More to the point... what is Tajikistan going to do with the latest Russian hardware?

They would be better off with simple but effective stuff that is proven than new stuff they might have trouble maintaining and supporting operationally.

Hopefully they will be more pragmatic in private talks.

There's a danger that Tajikistan could once again sink into full scale civil war if islamist rebels manage to infiltrate in force from Afghanistan. From there the whole of Central Asia and the Caucasus could be threatened. So it's in Russia's interest to bolster the Tajik government.

Another angle to equipping the Tajiks and other smaller CSTO members is that they can then provide decently equipped contingents in any joint CSTO operations. Multinational operations are more politically preferable than just strictly Russian operations in case of unrest in any of the more vulnerable CSTO members.

But I don't think they will be getting new equipment in the hundred's but in small numbers on top of some refurbished older stuff.

I want to be clear, I don't want Russia to give them rubbish they can't use, but I think that for the use they will likely put their hardware to that a good reliable older system that isn't full of complex electronics, that is effective and straight forward to operate and maintain is much better than having state of the art stuff.

It is best if this is good for both Russia and Tajikistan.

Russia owes rent on military bases unpaid for 4 years – Kyrgyz President

RIA Novosti

11:53 29/12/2011

BISHKEK, December 29 (RIA Novosti) - Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev described Russia as a key strategic partner but claimed that Moscow had not paid rent for military installations on the country's territory for the past four years.

The main strategic partner of Kyrgyzstan is Russia but the former leadership "did not leave a good legacy in relations with Russia," Atambayev said.

“Over the past year and a half we managed to establish relations with Russia, which were ruined by the former government,” he said, noting that a lot of support was afforded to the republic by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Atambayev said that he was able to reach an understanding also with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in particular on the issue of the payment of debt on the Russian side that has accumulated over the past four years for territories in the republic used as Russian military facilities.

Four Russian military facilities are situated on the territory of Kyrgyzstan, as well as an air base in the city of Kant.

Atambayev also said that the U.S. air base at the Manas International Airport in Kyrgyzstan should be closed, as it is a threat to the country.

“Kyrgyzstan does not need a military air base at the civilian airport, it is very dangerous. We want the Manas airport to only be a civilian airport,” he said at his first press conference.

The U.S. airbase at Manas was set up near the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek in 2001 in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in America to support military operations in Afghanistan. Under the current U.S. agreement with Kyrgyzstan expires in 2014.

Atambayev, 55, who served as the country’s prime minister, overwhelmingly won the October 30 presidential elections with 62 percent of the vote. Interim President Roza Otunbayeva, who took power after Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted as president amid large-scale popular protests in April 2010, was barred from running in the polls.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/russia/2011/russia-111229-rianovosti02.htm

Atambayev said that he was able to reach an understanding also with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in particular on the issue of the payment of debt on the Russian side that has accumulated over the past four years for territories in the republic used as Russian military facilities.

So they have already reached a solution... good.

No Need For Russian Air Base Says New Kyrgyz President

RIA Novosti

11:43 27/02/2012 MOSCOW, February 27 (RIA Novosti) - Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev has called for a Russian air base in the country to be closed, saying neither Russia or Kyrgyzstan need it.

The Kant air base does nothing except "flatter the vanity of Russian generals," Atambayev said in an interview to Kommersant newspaper, adding Russia has not paid for the lease for four years.

“The current situation where a Russian military base is not fulfilling its obligations and even does not pay for the lease does not suit us ... There are many conditions, but the main thing is that the lease should be paid, one way or another," he said.

"And the base should fulfill certain obligations; for example train pilots for Kyrgyzstan. All these years we have been paying for the electricity and water, heat and phone bills and have nothing in return. I am convinced that Russia's government did not know about the true situation. And I was there when the Russian President gave the order to Russian Defense Minister to pay out all debts,” Atambayev added.

Russia had only been required to pay "a measly rent" for the Kant air base for four years, Atambayev said.

“In comparison with the U.S. base, it is just pennies. Less than $15 million for more than four years. Last year we paid $15 million on one percent of our debt to Russia! And the thing is not only in the lease payments. There have been a number of obligations. For example our pilots should have been trained there. No one was trained! So the question is: do we need such a base,” the Kyrgyz President said.

Atambayev announced plans in November 2011 to close the nearby American military air base at Manas in 2014.

The U.S. began operations at the Manas base near the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek in 2001 in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks to support military operations against the Taliban in Afghanistan. It remains a key supply facility for the ongoing military campaign there.

He said the decision was not an attempt to get more money from the USA for the lease, though this was not initially understood by Washington.

“The Americans could not believe me when I was saying that there should not be military base in a civil airport Manas," he said. "It was difficult to persuade them that Atambayev was not trying to get money from the U.S. for him and his family. There should not be a military base in any civil airport. And there will not be! During recent talks with Obama’s representatives, State Department and U.S. Defense Ministry realized that is a decision of principle ,” Atambayev said.

He denied speculation that the Kyrgyz authorities wanted to get the Russian forces out of Kant in order to transfer the U.S. military base there.

“It is more logical if Kyrgyzstan is connected with Russia not through some kind of base, but a single economic space, with a common external border. That would be logical. And there is not a whip which applies to Kyrgyzstan. We should avoid it,” he said.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2012/02/mil-120227-rianovosti06.htm

Russia to Clear Military Base Lease Debt with Kyrgyzstan

The Kremlin confirmed on Saturday that Russia would fully pay off its $15-million debt to Kyrgyzstan for leasing military facilities there.

Earlier in the day, Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev, currently on a visit to Moscow, said in a radio interview that Russia was ready to pay off its debts for the lease of the Kant air base and several smaller military facilities “within ten days.”

“From its side, Russia has confirmed its readiness to pay for the lease and operation of infrastructure facilities in Kyrgyzstan (about $15 million),” the Kremlin said in a statement.

Both Russia and the United State have important military bases in the country. Kyrgyz media said Washington has paid its lease “without any delays.”

Russia has not paid "the measly rent" for its Kant air base for four years, Atambayev told Ekho Moskvy radio. He also complained that Russia did not meet its obligations to train Kyrgyz pilots.

Atambayev said Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had been kept in the dark about the debt and that he instructed the Defense Ministry to pay it off during talks between the two leaders on Friday.

The Kremlin said in its statement Kyrgyzstan’s $493-million debt to Russia was “a more complicated issue.” However, it said, there is “understanding” on the Russian side of the “difficulties faced by our partners because of the complicated financial and economic situation in Kyrgyzstan.” Russia is “ready” to consider various options that would allow Bishkek to pay off its debts to Russia, the statement said.

U.S. base to be shut down after 2014

In his interview with Ekho Moskvy, Atambayev also said the U.S. air base at Manas will not stay in Kyrgyzstan after its lease expires in 2014. The base is a key strategic staging post for the U.S. military in Afghanistan.

"Just look at the situation with the U.S. and Iran. Iran possesses missiles that can hit targets thousands of kilometers away," Atambayev said. "They may target Manas, but what if they miss?"

On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich did not rule out that the United States may use the facility to launch a military strike against Iran. The U.S. Ambassador in Moscow, Michael McFaul, later dismissed the idea.

http://www.en.ria.ru/mlitary_news/20120225/171524704.html

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich did not rule out that the United States may use the facility to launch a military strike against Iran

With what? Tankers? Do KC-135Rs now carry JDAMs?

Don't let the fact that bases in Afghanistan (where there are already actual combat aircraft) and the Middle East (where there are more actual combat aircraft, and a lot more tankers) are significantly closer interfere with logic or anything.