BEIRUT, LEBANON (8:30 P.M.) – Syria has received from the Russian Ministry of Defense the next batch of advanced and modernized MiG-29 warplanes.

A military source quoted by Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) stated on Saturday:

“In the context of military and technical cooperation between the Syrian Arab Republic and the Russian Federation, and within a special ceremony held at the Hmeimim Airbase, the Russian side delivered the next batch of advanced and modernized MiG-29 warplanes to the Syrian Arab Army. ”

The source added that “the planes, which are more effective than their previous generation, carried out their flights from Hmeimim base to their areas of concentration in the Syrian military airports.”

They also clarified that, “From the beginning of next June, the Syrian pilots will begin carrying out the scheduled shifts of these planes in the Syrian airspace.”

Yesterday , Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree in which he authorized the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs to conduct negotiations with the Syrian government in order to hand over the Russian military additional facilities and expand their maritime access in Syria.