More than a dozen SU-27 and SU-30 fighter jets, which Russia is deploying to boost its air force, amid heightened tensions with Ukraine, landed at Belbek air base near Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea on Saturday, December 22.
"A Reuters witness saw the jets land at Belbek air base in Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014 after Moscow-leaning Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich fled Kyiv following street clashes and violent protests," Reuters said.
While there is no information about the deployment of fighter jets in Sevastopol on the Russian Defense Ministry's website. Crimea's news sites currently do not report the arrival of the specified number of jets on the peninsula, a Krym-Realii media project said.
According to Russian media, Commander of the Russian Southern Military District's Air Force and Air Defense Army Viktor Sevostyanov has arrived there by one of the planes.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine's Ministry for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons on November 30 said Russia continued the militarization of the temporarily occupied Crimea. In particular, 24 fighter jets and 150 units of special automotive and military equipment were deployed at Belbek air base alone.
