Russia Starts Two Observation Flights in Europe This Week Under Open Skies Treaty

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia will carry out observation flights in Germany’s, as well as Italy’s, airspace under the Treaty on Open Skies this week, the head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center, Sergei Ryzhkov, has announced.

"The observation flight over Italy will be carried out on November 4-8, 2019 from the Ciampino Open Skies Airport. The maximum flight range will be 2,015 kilometres [1,252 miles]", Ryzhkov said on Monday.

According to the official, the observation flight over Italy will be carried out using the Russian Antonov An-30B aircraft.

A Russian observation flight over Germany will be carried out in the same period (4-8 November) using the Russian Tupolev Tu-154m aircraft.

According to Ryzhkov, the maximum range of the flight over Germany will be 1,300 kilometres (about 808 miles).

The 1992 Treaty on Open Skies allows its participants to carry out aerial surveillance as part of a program of scheduled observation flights, with the aim of gathering information about military forces.

More than 30 countries are participating in the program created to boost the transparency of military activities.