Russia has requested a special permit in Indonesia for the placement of long -range aircraft at Manuhua Air Base located 1300 km from Australia.
Russia turned to Indonesia with the request to provide access to Manuhua Air Base on Biak Island in Papua province to place a military aircraft there. ABC News reported this on Tuesday, April 15.
The base is located about 1200-1300 km from the city of Australia of Darwin and next to major military facilities in the United States and Australia.
A message about Kremlin’s request caused a remembrance of Kanberra. Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said the government is waiting for clarification from Jakarta and does not want to increase Russia’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Australian Defense Minister confirmed that Moscow has actually applied for such a request. In this regard, the Indonesian defense minister assured that he would not allow Russian aircraft based on Papua.
Indonesia has traditionally complied with neutrality, but in the Pabovo Subian election, the country has activated cooperation with Russia of the President. In 2024, Pabovo visited Moscow, called Russia as a “great friend” and promoted the strengthening of defense relationships. In November of the same year, countries conducted a joint training in Naval, and in February 2025, Pabovo in Jakarta received the Security Council Secretary of the Russian Federation Sergey Shoigu.
Experts note that there is still no final decision in the database, and under the influence of the United States, Australia and Japan, Indonesia may refuse Moscow. At the same time, some observers believe that the placement of air aviation in the Pacific Ocean may be part of the preparation for China’s support in a possible conflict with the United States and NATO.
Earlier, three Chinese warships conducted an unusual maneuvering around Australia, entering the exclusive economic zone and conducting firing training near the commercial aviation space.
Australia has introduced the largest package of sanctions against Russia since 2022
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.