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  • 2018-12-20 (xsd:date)
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  • Did Putin Just Send Two Supersonic Nuclear Bombers to Venezuela? (en)
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  • On 10 December 2018, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that they had transported two Tu-160 strategic bombers to Venezuela: The TU-160s are long-range supersonic planes capable of carrying conventional or nuclear-tipped cruise missiles — a set of facts that led to the creation of memes suggesting the move was intended to place Russian bombers in range of the United States: The technical facts stated in this meme are accurate. It is true that these bombers were flown to Venezuela: the flight was monitored by the Norwegian air force, announced by Russia, and denounced by the United States. The TU-160 is indeed capable of carrying conventional or nuclear-tipped cruise missiles with a range [of] 3,410 miles. It is also true that Florida is 1,763 miles away from Venezuela. These bombers, given the nickname Blackjacks by NATO forces, have been in service in the Soviet or Russian air forces since 1988. They have most recently seen combat, armed with conventional weapons, in Syria. This occurrence was not the first time Blackjacks had been spotted in South America, either. In November 2013, Colombia formally protested to Russia that two Russian Tu-160s, traveling between Venezuela and Nicaragua, were in violation of their airspace: While the technical facts about the Tu-160s are not in dispute, the implication that the most likely reason for their transport to Venezuela is to bomb the United States is dubious. Russia, a close ally of the embattled Venezuelan government, has sold a substantial amount of arms to that country going back to the early days of former President Hugo Chávez’s tenure, and Russian has vested interests in supporting the current government, as argued by U.S. Naval War College Professor Nikolas Gvosdev in National Interest: According to the Associated Press, the reason for the transport of the bombers from Russia to Venezuela is unknown, but internal political factors in both countries that do not involve the United States could easily be playing a role. The Russian Ministry of Defense did not indicate how long the planes would be there, disclose whether they carried any weapons, or describe their purpose for being in the country: Highlighting the U.S. military’s role in providing medical support to Venezuelan refugees fleeing the country’s crisis, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Rob Manning drew a contrast between Russian military support and the U.S. presence in the region, telling reporters on 10 December 2018 that The Venezuelan government should be focusing on providing humanitarian assistance and aid to lessen the suffering of its people, and not on Russian warplanes. (en)
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