Russia plans to beef up its military air base in Kyrgyzstan - RIA

Russia plans to beef up its airbase in Kyrgyzstan, adding air defense systems and drones, the RIA news agency reported on Tuesday, saying the changes were part of a program to modernize the facility.

Russia has operated an air base near the town of Kant in the former Soviet republic which borders China since 2003, RIA reported. The base is seen as giving Moscow a strategic foothold in Central Asia where it vies for influence with Beijing and Washington.