Install

Get the latest updates as we post them — right on your browser

Today's paper. Last Updated: 06/01/2012

Air Force Cuts Warning

MOSCOW () -- Scarce government funding has left the air force short of fuel and flying experience, resulting in an increase in crashes, a high-ranking military commander said Wednesday.


"Lack of a government policy aimed at strengthening the air force leads to a significant fall in combat readiness, with planes crashing and pilots dying nearly every month,'' Deputy Defense Minister Colonel General Boris Gromov told the daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta.


This year there have been at least 20 air force accidents killing 80 people, Gromov said. He blamed the crashes on pilots' diminished skills, which in turn he blamed on insufficient fuel.




This article has no comments.

Be the first to leave a comment


Discussion
The Moscow Times welcomes your comments and invites you to discuss topics with other readers. Your comment will be posted automatically to enable a live discussion. If you aren't familiar with our comments policy, you can read it here.

If you're a registered user, you can start typing your comment below. If not, take a moment to sign up. and then return to the article.

If your comment doesn't appear, contact us by using our web form.

Comments

Comments via Facebook



print


Comments

This article has no comments.

Be the first to leave a comment





Most Read
 

7 Years Ago Today a Prison Sentence Was Read

Array
The Meshchansky District Court on Tuesday convicted Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his business partner Platon Lebedev of fraud and tax evasion and sentenced them both to nine years in a prison camp, ending the biggest trial in the country's post-Soviet history.