Cruality
09-10-2008, 11:16 PM
Here we go! Russian military strategy is at play folks. Joining with their Venezuelan neighbors Russia has decided to send its TU-160 bombers on a little Journey near the United States.
http://www.flankerman.fsnet.co.uk/tu-160_files/tu_160_06.jpg
http://www.avsim.com/pages/0307/Tu160/title.jpg
This comes at no surprise as the question has always been when, the answer is NOW.
This new Russian flight was followed by NATO fighters, and comes to me as an obvious reaction to the Georgian Crisis. Russian strategic games with Venezuela have been blamed for the future, as Venezuela really isn't militarily equipped to hold any games with Russia. This is what makes these Hasty Russian flights to Venezuela so brutally obvious, they serve as a preliminary excuse to fly their planes to Venezuela and piss off the world. It's a brave but strategically weakening move for both countries, we'll see how it plays out.
More from CNN.com
(CNN) -- Two Russian bombers have landed at a Venezuelan airfield, from which they will carry out training flights for several days, the Russian news agency Interfax reported Wednesday.
Russia's Tupolev TU-160, pictured here in 2003, is a long-range strategic bomber.
Russia's Tupolev TU-160, pictured here in 2003, is a long-range strategic bomber.
Click to view previous image
1 of 2
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The Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bombers landed at Venezuela's Libertador military airfield and "will spend several days carrying out training flights over neutral waters, after which they will return to the base," Interfax reported, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.
Col. Alexander Drobyshevsky, a ministry spokesman, told Interfax that NATO fighters followed the bombers on their 13-hour flight over the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic.
"All flights by air force aircraft have been and are marked by strict conformity to the international rules on the use of air space over neutral waters," Drobyshevsky told Interfax.
The U.S. will monitor the Russian training, said Pentagon officials who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak on the information.
On Monday, Russia announced it might hold joint naval maneuvers with Venezuela in the Caribbean. The declaration came in the wake of increased tension between Russia and the United States over Russia's invasion last month of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, a U.S. ally that aspires to join NATO.
Russia on Monday denied any link between that announcement and the conflict in Georgia, although Russia has criticized U.S. support for Georgia, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has long antagonized Washington.
Don't Miss
* Russian ships to visit Venezuela; naval exercises possible
* Russia agrees to Georgia withdrawal deadline
Earlier this month, Chavez said Venezuela would welcome the Russian air force, according to Russian news agency Novosti.
"If Russian long-range bombers should need to land in Venezuela, we would not object to that either. We will also welcome them," Chavez said on September 1, according to Novosti.
http://www.flankerman.fsnet.co.uk/tu-160_files/tu_160_06.jpg
http://www.avsim.com/pages/0307/Tu160/title.jpg
This comes at no surprise as the question has always been when, the answer is NOW.
This new Russian flight was followed by NATO fighters, and comes to me as an obvious reaction to the Georgian Crisis. Russian strategic games with Venezuela have been blamed for the future, as Venezuela really isn't militarily equipped to hold any games with Russia. This is what makes these Hasty Russian flights to Venezuela so brutally obvious, they serve as a preliminary excuse to fly their planes to Venezuela and piss off the world. It's a brave but strategically weakening move for both countries, we'll see how it plays out.
More from CNN.com
(CNN) -- Two Russian bombers have landed at a Venezuelan airfield, from which they will carry out training flights for several days, the Russian news agency Interfax reported Wednesday.
Russia's Tupolev TU-160, pictured here in 2003, is a long-range strategic bomber.
Russia's Tupolev TU-160, pictured here in 2003, is a long-range strategic bomber.
Click to view previous image
1 of 2
Click to view next image
The Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bombers landed at Venezuela's Libertador military airfield and "will spend several days carrying out training flights over neutral waters, after which they will return to the base," Interfax reported, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.
Col. Alexander Drobyshevsky, a ministry spokesman, told Interfax that NATO fighters followed the bombers on their 13-hour flight over the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic.
"All flights by air force aircraft have been and are marked by strict conformity to the international rules on the use of air space over neutral waters," Drobyshevsky told Interfax.
The U.S. will monitor the Russian training, said Pentagon officials who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak on the information.
On Monday, Russia announced it might hold joint naval maneuvers with Venezuela in the Caribbean. The declaration came in the wake of increased tension between Russia and the United States over Russia's invasion last month of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, a U.S. ally that aspires to join NATO.
Russia on Monday denied any link between that announcement and the conflict in Georgia, although Russia has criticized U.S. support for Georgia, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has long antagonized Washington.
Don't Miss
* Russian ships to visit Venezuela; naval exercises possible
* Russia agrees to Georgia withdrawal deadline
Earlier this month, Chavez said Venezuela would welcome the Russian air force, according to Russian news agency Novosti.
"If Russian long-range bombers should need to land in Venezuela, we would not object to that either. We will also welcome them," Chavez said on September 1, according to Novosti.