How much do Russian military bases on the Allied territory cost?
After the signing of agreements on the cessation of the existence of the Soviet Union, the international community recognized the Russian Federation as the successor of the USSR. The successor country automatically received all the rights and obligations of its predecessor, this also applied to the armed forces.
True, many republics subsequently demanded the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of independent states. However, in the territory of some states there remained not combat, but rather significant ones for ensuring the normal functioning of the vital activity of the army base. At present, Russia leases dozens of foreign facilities for military bases, the use of which is supposed to pay money, but it rarely comes to purely financial calculations - especially in the case of leasing facilities in the territory of the CSTO allies. So to say, collective security should not be negotiable. Therefore, the form of settlement with the participants of the Organization is very specific - weapon, energy resources at domestic prices, the cancellation of old debts or the very fact of presence, as an element of security in the region, but sometimes just promises.
Armenia: military barter
102-I Russian military base (personnel - 4,5 thousand people) is deployed in Gyumri. The agreement on its placement in Armenia was signed in 1995 for a period of 25 years. The purpose of base deployment is to ensure the defense of the republic together with the national army and to fulfill obligations under the Collective Security Treaty.
Despite the fact that the actual rent for the base in Gyumri is not charged from Russia, we still have to pay for weapons for loyalty to the Russian military. To date, arms deliveries have been fully completed under the Armenian-Russian loan agreement for 200 million dollars.
For these funds at a discount price, Armenia has stocked up on serious arsenal: MLRS Smerch, Igla-S SAM, TOS-1A heavy flamethrower systems with transporting and charging vehicles, 9М113М guided missiles, RPG-26 grenade launchers, Dragunov sniper rifles, armored vehicles “Tiger and other weapons. They also became the world's first importers of Iskander missile systems.
But this is not all, in accordance with the intergovernmental agreement signed on October 24 of 2017 of the year, the Russian Federation will provide the Armenian side with a state export credit for another 100 million dollars to finance the supply of military products.
Thus, the base in Armenia costs the Russian side 300 million dollars of debts, this is to the existing debt of 100 million dollars.
Tajikistan: weapons and donated dollars
The 201-I Russian military base is deployed in the republic, which is the largest land military unit of the Russian Federation located outside its borders. The meaning of her stay: jointly with the Tajik army, ensuring the security of the state (an ally of the CSTO), maintaining stability in the region.
Another Russian military facility in Tajikistan is the Window optical-electronic complex. He (since Soviet times) is included in the space monitoring system. Now he is working in the interests of the aerospace defense forces of the Russian Federation. The object is transferred to Russian ownership. For this, Moscow wrote off a $ 242 million debt to Tajikistan. In addition, in the 2006 year, the Russian Federation provided Dushanbe with free military assistance in the amount of more than $ 76 million.
In addition, from 2005 to 2010 Tajikistan was free of charge Transferred more than 13 thousands of small arms and melee weapons, thousands of pieces of military equipment, including 317 units of armored weapons. ()
Kyrgyzstan: forgotten debts
Here Russia leases the Kant airbase (lease term is 49 years), a test base of anti-submarine weapons of the Russian Navy, a naval communications center, an automatic seismic station and a radio seismic laboratory of the Seismic Service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. In 2012, the authorities of the republic declared that “the unpaid debt of Russia for the bases from 2008 to 2011 amounted to more than 15 million dollars a year”. Soon Moscow returned the underpayment to Bishkek, and at the same time reminded about the debt of $ 493 million dollars. After that, the Kyrgyz became more compliant, and Moscow wrote off $ 240 million of Kyrgyzstan, to facilitate its new borrowing.
At the same time, Russia annually pays Kyrgyzstan 4,5 million dollars in rent payments for the presence of the Navy’s test base in Issyk-Kul and the Russian Federation’s long-distance communications center.
Kazakhstan: profitable lodgers
Russia incurs the largest rental costs in Kazakhstan, where the Baikonur Cosmodrome is located. For the placement of test bases and transport regiment aviation Russia pays $ 170-200 million per year.
Up to $ 50 million is the cost of renting other objects: 929 State Flight Test Center, Sary-Shagan Test Site, 4 State Central Test Site, a separate radio unit, a separate transport aviation regiment of the Russian Air Force, 20-I separate test site station and two measuring points.
Belarussia: guests on self-sufficiency
In the district center Gantsevichi a separate radio node "Volga" is deployed. The number of personnel directly involved in the use of the site less than 1200 military specialists and civil servants ().
Its territory is leased by Russia under the 1995 agreement of the year for 25 years. Included in the missile warning system (SPRN). Another Russian object is the 43 communication node Vileyka. It provides communication with strategic nuclear submarines of the Russian Navy. The number of staff of the radio station less than 250 is a man of military and civilian specialists.
Minsk does not charge Moscow for its military facilities. But on According to some experts, they could cost Russia 10-20 million dollars annually. By the way, at one time the Americans offered Lukashenko 10 billions of dollars for the removal of Russian radar from the Belarusian land. The president then replied that "fraternity with Russia is not for sale."
The agreements on the deployment of these military facilities on the territory of Belarus entered into force for the Belarusian side 7 June 1996 and are valid until 7 June 2021, and Minsk can notify the Russian side of the intention to refuse further extension of these agreements to 6 June 2020.
Given the ongoing trade, gas and oil conflicts of recent years, it is worth believing that now the Belarusian side would not refuse money.
In view of this circumstance, as some experts believe, in the near future we can expect the start of bargaining for these military facilities.
First stir up interest To the Russian military objects the Belarusian opposition began. However, this is not a factor that should be seriously taken into account, but it may push the leadership of the neighboring Republic to reconsider its position.
It is unlikely that Belarus will be interested in money. Most likely, in exchange for our facilities, Minsk will ask for equipment and weapons, in particular, C-400 SAMs or combat aircraft at preferential prices or on credit. And it can be assumed that the Kremlin will give the go-ahead, since the Belarusian side, in particular the republic’s army, in fact remains the only real ally in the western direction that can withstand the aggression from the North Atlantic alliance, if necessary.
However, I would like to recall the situation with the Gabala radar station in Azerbaijan. In 2012, Baku demanded a rent for the station in the amount of 300 million dollars. After that, the Russian side refused the services of Azerbaijan, and the new station in Armavir (Krasnodar Territory) blocked the zone.
In the near future, the question of finding Russian facilities on the territory of Belarus will be considered at the highest level, and we will be able to understand that the leadership of the two allied states places the highest priority on military security.
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