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The aircraft is a modernized version of the Cold War bomber, the Tu-160, specifically designed to be deployed in the event of a conflict with NATO.
Vladimir Putin is flexing his muscles as the war in Ukraine prepares to enter its third year. A video released this Thursday shows him boarding a Tupolev Tu-160M strategic bomber, called the White Swan in Russian. These modern aircraft can carry nuclear charges. It is the world’s largest supersonic aircraft. The aircraft is a modernized version of the Cold War bomber, the Tu-160, specifically designed to be deployed in the event of a conflict with NATO.
Sputnik / Reuters
A warning, perhaps, against the West supporting Ukraine. The Russian president announced this Friday that Russia has modernized 95% of its nuclear arsenal, including 100% of its naval components.
“It’s a new machine, and a lot of things are new. It is easy to control. It is reliable.”, the master of the Kremlin explained on state television. According to the Russian news agency Tass, Vladimir Putin flew for about thirty minutes. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the itinerary was a “military secret”.
The plane was named after Ilya Muromets, a Russian storybook hero who embodies the ideal knight. Already in 2005, Vladimir Putin flew in a Tu-160 to the Northern Fleet.
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