Russian President Vladimir Putin signs a photo of the Tu160 supersonic strategic bomber during his visit to the Kazan Aircraft Plant in Tatarstan in January 2018.| Photo: EFE/ Alexey Nikolsky Sputnik / Kremlin
The President of Russia Vladimir Putin boarded this Thursday (22) a modernized Tu160M strategic bomber capable of carrying nuclear weapons, with which he flew in an unknown direction.
“The flight lasted 40 minutes,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian public television, refusing to give details of the route, saying it was a “state secret.”
The Russian president boarded the bomber named Ilya Muromets (based on a Russian legend) on the runway of the Kazan Aviation Factory, the capital of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan.
Putin, 71, boarded the plane using a special staircase, dressed in a pilot's uniform. In total, the flight lasted 30 minutes, after which the bomber returned to the Kazan Aircraft Plant.
“We are receiving new military equipment, it is excellent. Truly a new generation,” the president said after disembarking from the bomber and agreeing to hand over the aircraft to the armed forces.
According to the Kremlin chief, the modernized bomber has better flight characteristics that “even newcomers, laypeople, can see.”
As the twoyear anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine approaches and Moscow's attacks intensify, Putin is also stepping up his military propaganda aimed at sending a message to the West, which continues to send aid to Kiev.
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