MOSCOW: The security situation at the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border is a concern, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday, a threat Moscow has sought to alleviate by strengthening its military base in Tajikistan with munitions and another outfit.
The possibility of Islamist zealots in Afghanistan insinuating Tajikistan and other former Soviet democracies in Central Asia is a solicitude for Moscow, which views the region as a protective buffer to its south.
Russia this month said it was buttressing its military base in Tajikistan with 30 new tanks and that its forces there had carried out exercises with bullet defense systems.
