The flights, which will extend to the borders of U.S. territorial
waters, follow a markedly more aggressive air defense posture
by Russia in the eight months since it seized and annexed
Ukraine's Crimea region in March, according to European
strategic analysts.
Russia's Tu-160 White Swan, the largest supersonic bomber in
the world, shown in 2008 at Engels Air Base near Saratov, about
450 miles southeast of Moscow. (Misha Japaridze / Associated
Press)
Moscow's nuclear-capable strategic bombers regularly
conducted flight operations near the U.S. maritime borders
during the Soviet era but the long-range flights were sharply
curtailed after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and the
division of its defense forces among its 15 republics, which
became independent states.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the moves, intended
to flex Russia's global military muscle, at a meeting of the
national military council on Wednesday. He did not say whether
the long-range operations were already underway or how
frequently the bomber runs would be conducted.
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