Ukrainian, German and Swedish experts will carry out a joint observation flight over Russian territory under the Open Skies Treaty this week, the acting head of the Russian Defense Ministry’s Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Sergei Zabello said.
Zabello added that the flight would take place along an agreed route and Russian specialists on board of the aircraft would monitor compliance with the agreed parameters for the flight and the use of observation equipment.
“From August 8 to 12, as part of the international Open Skies Treaty, a joint Ukraine-Germany-Sweden mission will perform an observation flight over the Russian territory on a Swedish Saab-340B observation aircraft”, Sergei Zabello said in a statement.
According to Zabello, the Saab-340B observation aircraft is not equipped with any types of weapons.
The Treaty on Open Skies was signed in March 1992 and became one of the major confidence-building measures in Europe after the Cold War. It came into effect on January 1, 2002, and currently has 34 states paricipating, including Russia and most of NATO members. (Russian Aviation/Business World Magazine)
