Myanmar says it has commissioned Russian helicopters and Chinese aeroplanes into its air force as the two nations continue to supply the military-run government with equipment despite international pressure to end its bloody civil war.

The United States, the European Union and others have imposed sanctions on Myanmar that include the prohibition of arms sales, but Russia and China have been steadily supplying the military, known as the Tatmadaw, with hundreds of millions of dollars of equipment, according to the UN.

Photos provided by the military indicate it received three Russian Mi-38T helicopters and two Chinese Y-8 aircraft, which experts said will likely be used for operations to bring troops to fight in mountainous areas.

The transport aircraft will add “extra effectiveness” to the Tatmadaw's “ability to ensure airspace security of Myanmar security,” the military said in a release on the Nov. 7 commissioning of the aircraft in the capital, Naypyitaw.

“The current international conflicts and internal situation clearly indicate the essential role of all types of aircraft,” said Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar's ruling military government, according to the statement from his office.

The supply of new helicopters and planes “just shows the Myanmar military continues to acquire important kit despite economic and diplomatic pressures, with Russia as a critical lifeline,” said Morgan Michaels, a Singapore-based analyst with the International Institute of Strategic Studies, which runs its Myanmar Conflict Map project.

Myanmar is Russia's first known export customer of the Mi-38T, according to the defence-intelligence company Janes.

“Such preparations by the military commission indicate that it will rely more on air power and increase operations across the country,” said the Military Expertise for Democratic Reform analyst group in a research note. 

The organisation is made up of former Tatmadaw officers who now support the resistance.