Fears grow as Putin’s supersonic nuke bomber spotted close to Ukraine border
dailystar.co.ukPutin's invasion force beaten back in many parts of Ukraine, and the flagship of his Black Sea task force destroyed, the Russian leader has ordered one of his nuclear-capable Tu-160 strategic bombers to fly close to the Ukrainian border in a sinister show of strength.
The Tupolev 160 was escorted by an Ilyushin Il-78 aerial refuelling tanker and four fighter aircraft as it flew over Russia ’s western Kaluga region, between Moscow and the Ukrainian border.
Russia’s defence ministry has declined to reveal the reason for the mission.In February, Tu-160s reportedly launched standoff missiles at Ukrainian targets in the opening phases of the war, also being used to launch X-101 cruise missiles at the city of Vinnytsia.The giant swing-wing bomber - the largest currently-operational combat aircraft – can carry its payload of 12 nuclear missiles at twice the speed of sound.
It’s Russia’ answer to the USAF’s B-1 LancerCarrying conventional weapons, Tu-160s used their incredible 7,500-mile range to conduct raids on Syria, flattening cities held by rebel forces in a brutal campaign to support Putin’s ally Bashar al-Assad.The giant plane was also reportedly used to drop the massive fuel-air explosive device, dubbed “the Father of All Bombs,” in a weapons test on September 11 in 2007.The thermobaric weapon would be a significant option for Putin, who is desperate to break the Ukrainians’ fighting spirit but has good reasons for stopping short of pressing the nuclear button.Ukraine's defiance is dashing Putin's hope of delivering the victory parade scheduled for May 9.
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