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Tag: Russian bombers

  • Russian Bombers Seen Flying Over Crimea Ahead Of Putin’s Visit

    Russian bombers used to cause little concern when seen flying. After all, it was probably just the Russian military performing some training exercises. With the conflict in the Ukraine, however, Russian bombers have now taken on an entirely new meaning for the citizens of Crimea.

    AFP reports that Russian bombers have been spotted flying over Crimea over the past few days. The planes were reportedly flying low and some were even caught refueling in mid-air. While nothing has been formally announced, some take this to mean that Russia is getting serious about protecting its interests in Crimea.

    Beyond protecting its interests, the planes are also a harbinger of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s visit to Crimea. The outspoken Russian president is said to be overseeing Russia’s own V-Day celebration this week and then will travel to Crimea on Friday.

    Interestingly enough, it appears that Russia is bringing out the “big guns” for his visit. According to aviation experts, the Sukhoi Su-34 could be seen among the planes flying over Crimea. This particular war plane has been designed for high-precision strikes and nuclear weapon launches. While it’s rather absurd to think Russia would ever load their plane with nuclear weapons, the use of these particular fighters does leave a lot of people on edge.

    Here’s the Su-34 in action:

    The other model spotted above Crimea is the Mikoyan MiG-29. This particular plane has been in production since the 80s, and continued to be built even after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Most of the planes flying over Crimea seem to be made up of this particular model.

    Here’s the MiG-29 in action:

    While these planes could simply be performing routine sweeps over Crimea, some people are really spooked. The situation in Crimea has led some to think a war is almost upon us and the presence of these planes will not calm those fears. Until the situation in Crimea and the Ukraine is resolved, the world will remain suspicious of Russia.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Russian Bombers Spotted Around Dutch, UK Airspace

    Russian bombers are apparently not all that an uncommon sight in Europe. Under normal conditions, nobody would really care if the Russian military came a little too close to a European nation’s airspace. Unfortunately, the world’s relationship with Russia is anything but normal at the moment.

    CNN is reporting that two Russian TU-95 bombers were spotted half a mile inside Dutch airspace on Wednesday. In response, the Dutch military launched a number of its own aircraft to escort the two Russian planes out of its territory. While the existence of Russian bombers inside Dutch airspace may seem like hostilities between Russia and Europe has heightened, the Dutch military doesn’t seem to think that way. A spokesperson for country’s military says its actions were standard protocol and that planes from Russia or other countries are found to have entered its airspace at least four times a year.

    What makes this particular story more interesting is that the British also got involved as it deployed aircraft of its own to check on the unidentified aircraft flying north of its airspace. It was found to be the same two Russian aircraft and the British military took over escort duties from the Dutch at that point. The British military says that the Russian bombers never entered its airspace, but rather remained in international airspace.

    In a separate, seemingly unrelated event, the British also intercepted a Russian naval ship as it moved past Britain. The British military said it was a standard event and that it has “always routinely intercepted, identified and escorted Russian air and naval assets that transit international airspace and waters within the UK’s ‘area of interest.’” Now it’s keeping an eye on the ship as it moves South.

    So, why all the tension if all this is standard protocol? If you’ve been following the news in and around Russia for the past few months, you’d know that the situation in the Ukraine has gotten out of hand. Pro-Russian and other forces are battling within the country to determine whether or not the people of the country want to become a part of Russia again. Russia has already sent troops to the country’s border and some think it’s going to invade sooner or later. The Western world is having none of it and has promised consequences for an invasion. Russia has responded that it will take appropriate action in the event that its interests in the Ukraine were threatened.

    For now, we can just accept the existence of Russian bombers in and around European airspace as just a standard occurrence. There’s no need to get worried just yet.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons