Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had ordered strategic bombers to resume regular long-range patrols, a show of armed muscle aimed at sending a pointed message to the United States.
The resumption of bombing patrols, which analysts say signaled a significant change for Russian military policy, comes amid a growing chill in US-Russian relations, strained over Washington's criticism of Russia's democracy record, Moscow's objections to US missile defense plans and differences over global crises.
On Friday, the Russian air force held maneuvers involving 20 strategic bombers, which ranged far over the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans.
One of those drills, involving 11 aircraft, prompted NATO member Norway to scramble F-16 fighter jets to observe and photograph the Russian planes as they flew over the Norwegian Sea.
The group of strategic bombers, early warning aircraft, fighter jets and refueling planes represented the biggest show of Russian air power in that region since the early 1990s, said Brigadier General Ole Asak, chief of the Norwegian Joint Air Operations Center.
"We haven't seen that kind of activity in a very long time," Asak said. "Not since the early 1990s. It was quite impressive to see."
In announcing the policy change, Putin said halting long-range bombers' flights after the Soviet collapse had affected Russia's security as other nations had continued such missions - an oblique reference to the US.
"I have made a decision to resume regular flights of Russian strategic aviation," Putin said in televised remarks. "We proceed from the assumption that our partners will view the resumption of flights of Russia's strategic aviation with understanding."
"Starting today, such tours of duty would be conducted regularly and on the strategic scale," Putin said. "Our pilots have been grounded for too long, they are happy to start a new life."
Soviet bombers routinely flew such missions to areas from which nuclear-tipped cruise missiles could be launched at the US, but stopped in the post-Soviet economic meltdown. Booming oil prices have allowed Russia to sharply increase its military spending.
"This is a significant change of posture of Russian strategic forces," said Alexander Pikayev, a senior military analyst with the Moscow-based Institute for World Economy and International Relations. "It's a response to the relocation of NATO forces closer to Russia's western border."
NATO in recent years has expanded to include the former Soviet republics of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia as well as the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.
In Washington, US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack sounded neutral.
"We certainly are not in the kind of posture we were with what used to be the Soviet Union. It's a different era," he told reporters. "If Russia feels as though they want to take some of these old aircraft out of mothballs and get them flying again, that's their decision."
The resumption of bombing patrols, which analysts say signaled a significant change for Russian military policy, comes amid a growing chill in US-Russian relations, strained over Washington's criticism of Russia's democracy record, Moscow's objections to US missile defense plans and differences over global crises.
On Friday, the Russian air force held maneuvers involving 20 strategic bombers, which ranged far over the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans.
One of those drills, involving 11 aircraft, prompted NATO member Norway to scramble F-16 fighter jets to observe and photograph the Russian planes as they flew over the Norwegian Sea.
The group of strategic bombers, early warning aircraft, fighter jets and refueling planes represented the biggest show of Russian air power in that region since the early 1990s, said Brigadier General Ole Asak, chief of the Norwegian Joint Air Operations Center.
"We haven't seen that kind of activity in a very long time," Asak said. "Not since the early 1990s. It was quite impressive to see."
In announcing the policy change, Putin said halting long-range bombers' flights after the Soviet collapse had affected Russia's security as other nations had continued such missions - an oblique reference to the US.
"I have made a decision to resume regular flights of Russian strategic aviation," Putin said in televised remarks. "We proceed from the assumption that our partners will view the resumption of flights of Russia's strategic aviation with understanding."
"Starting today, such tours of duty would be conducted regularly and on the strategic scale," Putin said. "Our pilots have been grounded for too long, they are happy to start a new life."
Soviet bombers routinely flew such missions to areas from which nuclear-tipped cruise missiles could be launched at the US, but stopped in the post-Soviet economic meltdown. Booming oil prices have allowed Russia to sharply increase its military spending.
"This is a significant change of posture of Russian strategic forces," said Alexander Pikayev, a senior military analyst with the Moscow-based Institute for World Economy and International Relations. "It's a response to the relocation of NATO forces closer to Russia's western border."
NATO in recent years has expanded to include the former Soviet republics of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia as well as the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.
In Washington, US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack sounded neutral.
"We certainly are not in the kind of posture we were with what used to be the Soviet Union. It's a different era," he told reporters. "If Russia feels as though they want to take some of these old aircraft out of mothballs and get them flying again, that's their decision."
Related News
Photos
More>>
trade
- Workers were building Waiting Pavilions in the dock of black awning boats in
- Celebration of the 2500th anniversary of the founding of Shaoxing and Press
- Candidates of World Choir Games' Volunteers started training
- Shaoxing Luxun Primary School held World Choir Games and Me activity
- The Choir from the Philippines will Sing with the Bamboo Flutes