Russia sends armoured vehicles, military equipment to Tajikistan

MOSCOW: Russia sent Tajikistan 12 armoured vehicles and an array of military equipment, its defence ministry said on Saturday, as Moscow looks to shore up its Central Asian ally that neighbours Afghanistan.

Moscow has held military exercises in Tajikistan and expanded hardware at its military base there, its biggest in a foreign country, since the US withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s lightning takeover.

Russia is worried about the potential for fallout in the wider region and the possibility of Islamist militants infiltrating Central Asia, which Moscow sees as its southern defensive buffer.