MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th May, 2021) An international team led by Swiss experts will inspect military sites in Russia's Voronezh and Belgorod regions from May 19-21 as part of measures to boost mutual confidence and security, the head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center, Sergei Ryzhkov, said on Wednesday.
The team will visit Russia within the framework of the 2011 Vienna Document on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
"From May 19-21, Switzerland will conduct an inspection of the aforementioned area in Russia as part of the 2011 Vienna Document ... Russia has consented to this inspection. The area determined by Switzerland is located in the Voronezh and Belgorod regions and covers about 15,000 square kilometers [5,792 square miles]," Ryzhkov told reporters.
Such inspections are carried out to determine the scale of military activity subject to prior notification or to confirm the absence of such activity, the official specified.
The 2011 Vienna Document is an agreement reached by the OSCE member states so that they can regularly exchange information about their military capacity and troops located in Europe, as well as any unusual military activity, with the ultimate aim of enhancing trust and confidence.
The most recent inspection was carried out by specialists from Germany last September.
