Vladimir Putin mocked the West by taking a ride in a modernized Tu-160M supersonic strategic nuclear bomber today, as the Kremlin threatened nuclear war.
The despot’s stunt, which lasted about 40 minutes, appeared aimed at boosting his macho ratings as he runs for re-election next month and distracting attention from the “murder” of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in an Arctic jail.
But by flying a type of fighter jet that has been used to wreak havoc in Ukraine with conventional weapons, he was sending a message that he intends to keep fighting in Ukraine, which he invaded nearly two years ago.
And the massive Tu-160M - also known as the White Swan – is a key part of its nuclear strike force at a time when the Kremlin bluntly warns the West about the risk of nuclear war.
Putin was seen taking off in Kazan a day after visiting a factory in the city where Tupolev bombers are made.
Vladimir Putin mocked the West by taking a ride in a modernized Tu-160M supersonic strategic nuclear bomber today, as the Kremlin threatened nuclear war.
The despot’s stunt, which lasted about 40 minutes, appeared aimed at boosting his macho ratings as he runs for re-election next month and distracting attention from the “murder” of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in an Arctic prison.
He climbed a ladder in the factory to enter the plane and spent ten minutes in the cabin.
He then made the decision to fly one of their bombers himself, his first flight since taking off in a Tu-160 in 2005.
The giant swing-wing aircraft is a substantially modernized version of a Soviet-era bomber that the USSR would have deployed in the event of a nuclear war with the West to deliver nuclear weapons over long distances.
The TU-160M is capable of carrying 12 cruise missiles or 12 short-range nuclear missiles and can fly 7,500 miles non-stop without refueling.
The election stunt came less than a week after a man who wanted to overthrow him as president, Navalny, was “murdered” inside his grim Arctic prison.
Although the March election is expected to be rigged in Putin’s favor, he is currently more visible on state television than he has been in years.
An entertaining report on Russian state television controlled by Putin said: “We just saw that President [Vladimir Putin] Again, for the second time in two days, he climbed into the cockpit of a Tu-160 strategic bomber.
On the tarmac, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had “made the decision to take a flight.” There will be a flight [with Putin] now.’
Putin later emerged from the Tu-160M to praise the upgraded aircraft – the model he had flown – as suitable for the Russian air force.
‘The technology is excellent. “You can be accepted into the Armed Forces,” he stated.
Putin (third from left) was seen on Wednesday giving a tour of the Kazan aviation factory, where several of the massive Tu-160M bombers are located.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is seen in the cockpit of a Tupolev Tu-160M strategic bomber as he visits the Gorbunov Kazan Aviation Plant in Kazan on February 21, 2024.
His stunt came after the deputy head of the Russian security council recently warned that Putin could bomb London, Washington, Berlin and kyiv should setbacks in the war with kyiv lead to a withdrawal of Moscow’s forces.
Today he doubled down on this warning to the West, saying that Russia is even capable of starting a nuclear war by accident.
Medvedev also accused Western leaders of not taking the threat seriously.
‘As sad as it may seem, this [nuclear war] “The scenario is real,” said Putin’s lackey and former president of Russia from 2008 to 2012.
‘We must do everything possible to prevent this from happening. But this same clock, which is ticking in a certain direction, has now sped up a lot.
‘And in this I also see the inability, sorry, the impotence of these Western authorities.
‘[They] They keep saying the same thing: ‘No, it’s the Russians who are scaring us, they never will.’ “They are wrong,” she said ominously.
A pair of Tu-160M strategic missile carriers are seen at the Kazan Aviation Factory in Kazan during a tour of the facilities by Putin on February 21, 2024.
Putin signs a photograph of a TU-160M nuclear bomber during a visit to the Gorbunov Aviation factory in Kazan, Russia, January 25, 2018 (file photo)
“If this is about the existence of our country, and I said this recently, what choice does the [Russian] leadership, for the head of state? None.’
He stressed: “So, unfortunately, this is a real threat, a direct and clear threat to all of humanity.”
‘And secondly, there are also accidents, from which no one is immune. And the accidental and involuntary start of a nuclear conflict cannot be ruled out.
“So all these games around Ukraine are extremely dangerous.”
The United States has warned its allies that Russia is developing a space nuclear weapon designed to destroy key Western satellite networks.
Such a weapon would wreak havoc on Western satellite communications, GPS, space surveillance and military command operations.
The Tu-160 strategic bomber, known in NATO as Blackjack, can carry two dozen missiles with a total payload of 45 tons.
The Mach 2 bomber has a variable-sweep wing of the integral low-wing scheme and a maximum takeoff weight of 275 tons.
The TU-160M is capable of carrying 12 cruise missiles or 12 short-range nuclear missiles and can fly 7,500 miles non-stop without refueling.
The nuclear bomber dates back to the 1960s, but state-controlled Russian television that reported on Putin’s visit to Kazan praised the plane’s potential, saying it was “a technology that many of Russia’s rivals have been unable to copy.” “.
The Rossiya 1 channel told its viewers that the plane was “the largest fighter jet and the fastest bomber in the world.”
Channel One stated: “This plane is right now about 50 years ahead of everything else.”
Putin named the new plane he boarded after the first president of the Tatarstan region, Mintimer Shaimiyev.