Abiy Ahmed, in a black suit and red tie standing on tarmac in front of a fighter jetImage source, Abiy Ahmed/Facebook
Image caption,

The acquisition of fighter jets comes amid ongoing tensions with Eritrea

ByBasillioh Rukanga and Michael Teferi, BBC Africa
  • Published1 hour ago

Ethiopia has received 12 Su-35 fighter jets from Russia, as fighting intensified in the northern Tigray region neighbouring Eritrea.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who is attending the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow, described the acquisition as a "milestone" that would boost Ethiopia's defence capacity.

He said Ethiopia and Russia agreed on the deal several years ago and the warplanes had come ahead of schedule. He also said that Ethiopia had plans to acquire four S-400 air defence systems from Moscow.