US, Canada Begin Observation Flight Over Russia - Russian Official

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th September, 2019) The United States and Canada will carry out a joint observation flight in the Russian airspace under the Treaty on Open Skies starting Monday, the head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center, Sergei Ryzhkov, said.

"A joint mission of the US and Canada will conduct an observation flight on September 16-21 above the territory of the Russian Federation aboard the OC-135B [Open Skies] American observation aircraft," Ryzhkov said in an interview with Krasnaya Zvezda, the official newspaper of the Russian Defense Ministry.

According to Ryzhkov, Russia will also make observation flights in the same period, over the territories of Benelux and Portugal.

The Treaty on Open Skies allows its participants to carry out aerial surveillance as part of a program of scheduled observation flights, with the aim of gathering information about military forces.

More than 30 countries are participating in the program created to boost transparency of military activities.