Ukraine puts air force on combat alert

Local analysts believe that Ukraine's move may be related to the joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises called Zapad 2017 (West 2017) on September 12-20.

According to Xinhua, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on September 12 that the country's military has put its air force on combat readiness to test its ability to carry out assigned tasks.

Ukrainian Air Force SU-27 fighter jet. Photo: theaviationist.com

In a statement on Facebook, the Ukrainian General Staff said: "Most of the Ukrainian air force units have been put on alert," emphasizing that the Ukrainian air force also mobilized reservists to maximize their strength during this inspection.

Ukrainian authorities did not explain the actions, but local analysts said Ukraine's move could be related to the joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises called Zapad 2017 (West 2017) on September 12-20.

Last month, Russian Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said the exercises by Russia and Belarus "could pose a threat to Ukraine."

Meanwhile, the leaders of Russia and Belarus have both explained that the upcoming joint military exercises are purely defensive in nature. The press service of the head of state of Belarus quoted President Alexander Lukashenko as saying: "We will not attack anyone. We have invited almost all parties interested in this exercise to witness it"./.

According to Vietnam+