Russia has currently deployed about 500 combat aircraft and up to 340 helicopters along its border with Ukraine, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Vadym Skibitsky, has said.

He said this at a briefing entitled "A military and strategic assessment of the threat of invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Armed Forces" in Kyiv on Monday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The buildup of the aircraft group of the Russian Aerospace Forces near the state border of Ukraine attracts special attention. Since 2013, the Russian Federation has been modernizing its entire airfield network along the Ukrainian border, upgrading the fleet of combat aircraft, and expanding the capabilities of army aviation. About 500 combat aircraft of tactical aviation and up to 340 helicopters of army aviation have currently been deployed along the border with Ukraine," Skibitsky said.

He specified that the crews of combat helicopters and tactical aircraft participated and are participating in hostilities in Syria. "This means that crews have enough experience to use bombs, high-precision weapons against the civilian population," Skibitsky said.

He added that the combat radius of aircraft deployed by Russia along its border with Ukraine covers the entire territory of the Ukrainian state.

According to Skibitsky, during the period of Russia's aggressive actions against Ukraine, a significant buildup of troops has been recorded, and new groups and units are being formed near the state border of Ukraine and in the European part of the Russian Federation in general. "Russia pays considerable attention to the creation and training of battalion tactical groups, which have currently been deployed along the border of our state. The total number of Russian battalion tactical groups capable of carrying out combat missions in our territory is 25," he said.

Skibitsky also said that during the Kavkaz-2016, Vostok-2018 and Zapad-2017 strategic exercises, Russia was working out the creation of assault forces in the Ukrainian direction, mobilization, and the redeployment of reserve forces and means from the central regions of the Russian Federation to the border with Ukraine.

op