Russia, Belarus to Carry Out Observation Flight Over Poland by April 7

Russian and Belorusian experts will carry out an observation flight on April 3 – 7 over the territory of Poland, Sergei Ryzhkov, head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Nuclear Risk Reduction Center, said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The experts will conduct an observation flight aboard the Russian An-30B jet as part of the international Open Skies Treaty.

"An observation flight over Poland will be carried out in the period from April 3 to April 7, 2017 from the Open Skies airfield Warsaw with a maximum range of up to 1,400 kilometers [about 870 miles]," Ryzhkov said.

He pointed out that the flight would be carried out along the coordinated route with Polish experts on board controlling the use of observation equipment and fulfillment of the treaty’s provisions.

Ryzhkov added that the observation flights promoted openness and transparency of the countries’ military activities. Russia has already conducted seven observation flights over the treaty’s member states this year.

Under the same treaty, experts from Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom will conduct an observation flight over Russia on the Swedish observation aircraft SAAB-340B from the Kubinka airport during this period, according to Ryzhkov.

The Treaty on Open Skies was signed in March 1992 and became one of the major confidence-building measures in Europe after the Cold War. It entered into force on January 1, 2002, and currently has 34 states parties, including Russia and most NATO members.