MOSCOW, July 29. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has not made any decisions on sending reinforcement to help partners protect their borders with Afghanistan, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Thursday, although assuring them that Russia is ready to stand together with its partners.
"What’s going on in Afghanistan is a subject of deep concern to us," the Kremlin official said. "We are ready to stand together with our partners against the background of that threat that the events in Afghanistan may become," he assured.
"Of course, not," the spokesman said in response to a question on whether Putin has made any decisions on sending additional troops to Afghanistan’s borders.
He reiterated that in the border areas "joint military exercises are being conducted testing the defensive capacity and refining operations."
At the same time, the spokesman said that the question as to what extent Russia is thinking of sending additional troops to Afghanistan’s borders is "operational." "We are talking from the point of view of principled approaches to the current events," the Kremlin spokesman said. He agreed that "everyone is afraid" of the situation getting complicated. "This is precisely why we are constantly saying that we are deeply concerned," he explained.
Earlier, the press service of the Central Military District reported that over 1,500 Russian, Tajik and Uzbek servicemen would participate in the joint military drills at Tajikistan’s Harb-Maidon training ground located 20 km away from the Afghan border between August 5 and 10. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu specified that the servicemen would work on practical steps to destroy criminal gangs, conduct aerial reconnaissance and protect facilities. According to him, the exercises are held in order to react to the aggravated situation in Afghanistan.