The repercussions of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s test flight yesterday with the Tu-160M, a Soviet-made strategic bomber capable of carrying nuclear warheads, continued today. Western media described Putin’s move as ‘an open defiance’.
Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin test flew the Tu-160M, a Soviet-made strategic bomber capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
40-MINUTE TEST FLIGHT! PUTIN NAMED THE PLANE
Footage obtained by international agencies shows the Russian leader inspecting the production facility in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, and then conducting a test flight.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the route of the flight, which lasted 40 minutes, would not be disclosed for security reasons.
“It is an excellent technology, a complete new generation aircraft, very safe,” Putin said after the test drive. It can be accepted into the armed forces.” He named the new plane after Mintimer Shaimiyev, the first president of the Tatarstan region.
WHITE SWAN, THE WORLD’S LARGEST FIGHTER JET
The Tu-160M, or ‘White Swan’, is considered a key part of Moscow’s nuclear power. Capable of carrying nuclear weapons, the bomber can reach 2,000 kilometers and exceed the speed of sound.
Rossiya 1 TV channel announced to its viewers that the plane is the world’s largest and fastest bomber and said, “This plane is now about 50 years ahead of everything else.”
THE IMAGES CAUSED A STIR IN THE WESTERN MEDIA
Western media suggested that the Tu-160M test flight was part of Putin’s election campaign and claimed that the Russian leader was trying to change the agenda after the death of opposition leader Alexey Navalny.
Writing that senior Russian officials have recently made veiled threats of nuclear war, the Mirror newspaper used the headline ‘Putin mocks the West’.
The Dailymail newspaper recalled Russian Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev’s words, “As sad as it may sound, the scenario of nuclear war is a reality.”
AP: WANTS TO SEND A TOUGH MESSAGE TO THE WEST BEFORE THE ELECTIONS
The Associated Press news agency (AP) suggested that the Russian leader carried out the test flight to send a tough message to the West ahead of the upcoming elections.
According to AP, Putin’s flight in a Tu-160M supersonic strategic bomber was intended to remind Russia of its nuclear might amid growing tensions with the West over the conflict in Ukraine.
