DUSHANBE, April 10, 2014, Asia-Plus – Russian Deputy Minister of Defense, Anatoly Antonov, says that a total estimated cost of no-strings military aid that Russia will provide to Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan is billions of Russian rubles.

“We have come to an agreement with leaderships of these countries on providing free military and technical assistance to them,” Antonov was quoted by Interfax as saying.

Russian deputy defense minister reportedly noted that Russia was reinforcing its military bases in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan in connection with withdrawal of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops from Afghanistan.  According to him, Russia is delivering compatible weapons to Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Meanwhile, news website UFANOTES reports with reference to Anatoly Antonov that Russia intends to provide US$411 million worth of military hardware to Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.