Reports of threat against Russian aircraft

The government on Wednesday would not comment on reports suggesting authorities had beefed up security measures at the republic’s airports on information about a possible hit against Russian aircraft.

Government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou would not confirm or deny the report, saying the administration did not comment on security matters.

He told the Cyprus News Agency that such information was received frequently and the necessary measures were put in place after evaluation.

Earlier, daily Phileleftheros reported that security forces were on high alert after receiving information about a possible hit against aircraft of Russian interests at Larnaca airport.

Measures were also beefed up at Paphos international airport, the paper said.

According to the report, police and military personnel were guarding the aircraft from the time they landed until they departed the airport.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.