Russia will have up to 20 military planes and helicopters based in the Central Asian nation of Tajikistan beginning next year, the Interfax-Military News Agency reported Wednesday. The aircraft will be based at the Aini airfield, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) outside Dushanbe, Interfax said. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an agreement Saturday to establish a permanent base for Russian troops that have been stationed in Tajikistan since the end of the Soviet-Afghan war in 1989. The Tajik facility is only the second that Russia has established abroad since the Soviet collapse, following last year's opening of a base in Kyrgyzstan near the site of a U.S.-led base. Russia also has aircraft based in Armenia.
