Russia has signed a contract to sell combat jets to Syria, Kommersant reported Monday, in apparent support for President Bashar Assad and open defiance of international condemnation of his regime’s bloody crackdown.
The newspaper, citing an unidentified source close to the Rosoboronexport state arms trader, said the $550 million deal envisions the delivery of 36 Yak-130 aircraft.
A spokesman for Rosoboronexport refused to comment on the report.
If confirmed, the deal would cement Russian opposition to international efforts to put pressure on Assad’s regime over its attempts to snuff out the country’s uprising. The United Nations says more than 5,400 people have died over 10 months. The report of the sale comes the same day that Human Rights Watch called Russia’s backing of the Syrian regime “immoral.”
The Yak-130 is a twin-engine combat trainer jet that can also be used to attack ground targets. The Russian Air Force has recently placed an order for 55 such jets.
Sign In
January 27, 2012 at 3:27 pm