Today, some publications, as it were, unobtrusively throw into the information space the topic of the situation in the former Soviet Central Asian republics. Interest in this region has indeed weakened. Therefore, any information is perceived as a sip of water in the desert. This is exactly what happened with the 201st base of the Russian army in Tajikistan.
The insidious Kremlin wants to overthrow the legitimate government in Dushanbe! Russians are preparing "Maidan" in Tajik cities and towns! 201st changes its location and concentrates far from the border! Russia opens borders for Islamic militants! Hopefully enough thoughts and quotes from readers.
In reality, an event occurred that should have happened. The worn-out military equipment and armament of the base were planned to be replaced with more modern models. About a hundred tanks and armored vehicles were rotationally changed. How much they brought in, they took out so much. And the crews, respectively, were trained at training grounds in Russia.
In the conditions of mountainous desert terrain, equipment and weapons quickly become inoperative. And in order to maintain a high combat readiness of the military personnel of the base, combat training takes place constantly. 201st in the Russian army is one of the best units. Hence the increased wear and tear of equipment.
For a more complete understanding of the situation, it is necessary to recall some facts about Tajikistan.
The country borders on several states. Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Afghanistan. More than 90% of the population is Sunni Muslim. The total number of citizens for 2016 is approximately 8 and a half million people. Mountains occupy 93% of the territory of Tajikistan.
Economically, the country is extremely weak. Constant conflicts with neighboring Uzbekistan, as well as a long civil war, severely undermined the economy. You can still write a lot about Tajikistan and Tajiks, but still the topic of the article is different. The Russian base, which is holding back many negative processes.
What else has caused the righteous anger of the liberal publications in Russia? Redeployment of one of the regiments (the 149th motorized rifle regiment) from the territory of Kulyab to the military town of Dushanbe. Russia allegedly opens the border. The militants can take Kulyab in an hour! At the same time, parts of the 201st base will approach the city only in 3-4 hours. Poor people of Kulob …
And now a question for connoisseurs. How long will it take for attack aircraft and combat support helicopters to fly from the Kyrgyz Kant airbase to Kulyab? But today there are also not the oldest planes and helicopters there.
So why are we concentrating the main forces in one place?
The main task of the units and subdivisions of the 201st base is not only to protect the borders, and for this there are units of Russian troops along the Tajik-Afghan border, but also to protect the most important facility. Optoelectronic unit Nurek. The conditions of the location of this object make it possible to control outer space in the region almost all year round. And it is clear that the site is of certain interest for our "partners".
In addition, after the defeat in Syria, militants poured into the northern provinces of Afghanistan. Today in Kunduz province, according to Kabul media reports, there are from 5 to 7 thousand militants. And most of them are from Iran. Or they have a good command of the Iranian language. And the Tajik language practically does not differ from Iranian. And it is quite difficult to control the entire border, especially in the mountains. The number of Russian military in Tajikistan is about 6 thousand people.
Tajikistan today is one of the weaknesses in the emerging Asian security system. The country's poverty makes it easy for adversaries to find people for their tasks. In addition, we must not forget that Tajiks, like residents of some republics of Russia in the 90s, were actively studying in foreign religious universities and madrassas. And they received the appropriate training. For example, let me remind you that the commander of the Tajik OMON, Colonel Khalimov, left to fight on the side of the ISIS militants.
So what kind of coup is the Kremlin preparing? Is it important for us that a new "savior" of the people has appeared in Tajikistan? "Founder of Peace and National Unity - Leader of the Nation" Emomali Rahmon? From the outside it is perfectly clear that today Rahmon is "playing" according to the Turkmen rules. Those amendments to the Constitution that were adopted on May 22 are exactly what they say.
However, as the events in Kyrgyzstan have shown, the Russian army will not interfere in the internal political "showdown" of the Tajik elite. This is an internal affair of the Tajiks. And the assumption that the presence of Russian units in Dushanbe somehow stabilizes the situation looks like nonsense. The main task as it was and remains the protection of the Nurek junction, helping border guards in emergency situations, cutting off drug supply channels to Russia, cutting off the supply of weapons to Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, protecting civilians in the event of an attack by militants.
