MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – 03rd April, 2022) Military attaches of the European Union and NATO have visited an Armenian air base and verified that Yerevan had not handed over four SU-30SM fighter jets to Russia for engaging them in the special military operation in Ukraine, the Armenian defense ministry said on Thursday.
Earlier this week, Turkish-based Azerbaijani broadcaster Haber Global reported that Armenia transferred four SU-30 aircraft to Russia with the purpose of using them in the military operation in Ukraine. On Monday, the Armenian defense ministry dismissed it as fake news.
"The visiting personnel was most interested in SU 30-SM aircrafts.
Expressing gratitude for the acceptance, the defence attaches noted that during the visit they were once again convinced that all 4 SU-30SM aircrafts were in the home base, and the information spread in the Azerbaijani and Turkish press, that the aircrafts were taking part in the hostilities in Ukraine, did not correspond to reality," a statement said.
On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian provocations.