Putin’s Latest Show of Strength Is Flight On Nuclear Bomber
- President took 30-minute flight on Tu-160M bomber in Kazan
- Russia says the plane is fastest strategic bomber in service
Vladimir Putin in the cockpit of a Tupolev Tu-160M strategic bomber, on Feb. 21.
Photographer: Kristina Kormilitsyna/AFP/Getty Images
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President Vladimir Putin flew on one of Russia’s newest strategic bombers, which is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, a show of military might as his war in Ukraine appears to turn in his favor.
Putin took off for a 30-minute flight in the Tu-160M from an aircraft plant that produces the jets in Kazan, 720 kilometers (450 miles) east of Moscow, the Interfax news service reported. The bomber’s route wasn’t disclosed, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Interfax.