US to Hold Observation Flight Over Russia Under Open Skies Treaty

US military experts will fly over the territory of Russia under the Treaty on Open Skies on April 4-9, head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Sergei Ryzhkov said Sunday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – In the course of the observation mission, Russian specialists on board the aircraft will monitor compliance with the agreed parameters of the flight and the use of observation equipment, according to the statement.

"From April 4 to April 9, in the implementation of the Open Skies Treaty, a US mission will perform an observation flight over the Russian territory on an US OS-135B observation aircraft," Ryzhkov stated in a statement.

The Open Skies Treaty 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 the majority of the NATO countries.

Moscow ratified the Treaty on Open Skies on May 26, 2001.

The treaty allows its participants to openly gather information on each other's military forces and activities.

The OS-135B aircraft flies unarmed observation flights over participating parties of the treaty.