Renovation of Russian Base in Kyrgyzstan Nears Completion

The renovation of a Russian air base in Kyrgyzstan is nearing completion. As Kyrgyz and Russian officials work out the last details concerning deployment of fighter jets, both sides are downplaying the possibility of Kyrgyzstan becoming a focal point in a US-Russian struggle for influence in Central Asia.

The refurbishing of the Russian base – located at Kant, outside the capital Bishkek – is roughly 70 percent complete, Kyrgyz Defense Minister Esen Topoyev told the Interfax-AVN web site in early July. Russia has reportedly spent more than $2 million to upgrade facilities at the base. Kyrgyz officials say Kant is projected to be operational in the fall.

Kant is expected to be home to over 20 Russian aircraft and roughly 700 troops. In all, Russia plans to deploy five Su-25 attack jets, five Su-27 fighters, two An-26 transports, two Il-76 transports, five L-39 training jets and two Mi-8 helicopters at Kant. The Russian aircraft will form the core of an anti-terrorism force at Kant that will operate under the auspices of the Collective Security Treaty (CST) [for additional background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Military planners say Kant's strategic purpose is to provide air support for a CST rapid reaction force, which is projected to comprise more than 5,000 troops from Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan,

The Kant base marks Moscow's most significant move to project strategic power beyond Russia's borders since the Soviet collapse in 1991. Many political observers believe the deployment is being driven by a Russian desire to counter the expansion of US influence over the last several years. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Russia and Kyrgyzstan reached a preliminary agreement on the Kant base last December. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Russia and Kyrgyzstan have maintained close political and military ties, and Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev has tended to support the Kremlin's policies in the region. In return, Moscow has been a strong backer of Akayev's administration. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archives]. The Kant deployment indicates that Akayev's government remains dependent on Russian support, some political analysts in Moscow believe.

Once the deployment of Russian aircraft to Kant occurs, Kyrgyzstan will join Georgia as countries hosting both US and Russian military forces. The US base at Manas, which was established in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, is designed to provide air support for regional operations by the anti-terrorism coalition in Afghanistan. Despite the evident potential for an intensified geopolitical rivalry, Kyrgyz and Russian officials stress that the two bases can peacefully coexist.

"Central Asia should not turn into an area of rivalry and it will not be so," Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov told a Kyrgyz television station on July 10, following discussions with his Kyrgyz counterpart, Askar Aytmatov.

Meanwhile, Topoyev, the Kyrgyz defense minister, maintained that the Kant and Manas bases had complimentary, not competing roles in the overall effort to improve regional security. The Russian air forces at Kant are designed to combat potential threats on the territory of Central Asian nations, while the mission of US forces at Manas is focused on supporting ongoing anti-terrorism operations in Afghanistan.

In addition, Topoyev challenged the notion that Kant is a Russian base, and that the Manas facility, formally known Ganci Air Base, is American.

"One should not forget that it is an air force component of the collective [CST] rapid reaction forces which will be deployed at Kant, not a Russian air base," the Itar-Tass news agency quoted Topoyev as saying. "As for Manas, groups of international anti-terrorist coalition forces, which include Russia too, are deployed there, not a [purely] US or NATO base."

While few publicly admit to the US-Russian competition in Kyrgyzstan, Russian media has recently reported that Washington is striving to undermine Moscow's strategic position in Tajikistan. In early July, the Russian Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily speculated that Tajikistian had been offered $1 billion in US aid. In return, Dushanbe would have to refuse Russia permission to establish a military base in Tajikistan, the newspaper report suggested.

Tajik foreign ministry spokesman Igor Sattarov described speculations over the US aid as "allegations of enemies of relations between Russia and Tajikistan." So far, there has been no official reaction in Moscow. Yet coincidence or not, on July 16 more than 300 Tajik citizens were deported home as illegal aliens from Russia's Omsk region.