Ethiopia receives fighters from Russia as part of a deal that includes S-400 air defense batteries

- Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali, announced that his country had received 12 Su-35 4++ generation fighters, as part of an arms deal with Russia, explaining that his country would receive four S-400 air defense batteries. Abiy Ahmed posted on his account on the

The Ethiopian Prime Minister also indicated that the receipt of the fighters came a full year before the agreed upon date. He published a video clip of the new fighters, and said that Ethiopia “will remain ready, more than ever, to defend its airspace.”

Ethiopia is witnessing tensions in its relations with Egypt due to the Renaissance Dam issue, and Cairo and Khartoum were accused of supporting military movements against the government in the Tigray region earlier this year, which was denied by Egypt and Sudan. Ethiopia also entered into a diplomatic crisis with Eritrea, due to border tensions and the Tigray crisis.

Abiy Ahmed has always pledged that his country will continue its efforts to reach the Red Sea, after Ethiopia became a landlocked country after Eritrea separated from it in the nineties of the last century.