Since the start of the Ukraine war, countries close to Russia have been demanding tougher action against Putin.
Now comes a clear sign.
Saint Petersburg – The Ukraine war is provoking different actions in different countries.
While Olaf Scholz proclaimed the “turning point” for Germany, it is above all the countries that are closer to Russia – whether geographically or historically – that are reacting most strongly to the escalation.
Nuclear military exercises in the direction of Moscow are also not taboo, as a recent incident shows.
On Saturday evening (March 11), a long-range Boeing B-52 bomber flew over the Baltic Sea from Poland.
The US Air Force machine was on course for Saint Petersburg and only turned back 200 kilometers from Vladimir Putin's birthplace.
The complete route could be viewed on the FlightRadar24 website, with the Russian news portal RusNews
, among others,
publishing screenshots on Telegram.
Military observers see the maneuver as a clear signal to Russia – also because the B-52 is capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
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Ukraine War: US B-52 bomber maneuvers towards Russia.
(icon picture)
© Uncredited/imago
US nuclear bomber flies towards Russia: "Security on NATO's eastern flank"
First, the Polish Defense Minister, Mariusz Błaszczak, commented on the military exercise.
He wrote on Twitter that Polish fighter jets had again escorted a US B-52 bomber.
The route draws a best-of of the nations that are demanding a tougher course against Russia: from Poland, through the Baltic States and Finland to Great Britain, where the bomber finally turned away.
“This is an important part of the interoperability exercise.
Together we will ensure security on NATO's eastern flank," wrote Blaszcak.
A Year of Ukraine War: The Origins of the Conflict with Russia
A Year of Ukraine War: The Origins of the Conflict with Russia
Nuclear maneuvers against Russia: "This is a counter-signal"
Stronger words came from military expert Mika Aaltola, head of the Finnish Institute for International Affairs.
"The flight of the American B-52 plane into the Gulf of Finland is a clear message," he wrote on Twitter.
“Russia has increased its provocative activities from Alaska to the Arctic.
This is a counter-signal.”
Russia has actually significantly expanded its military presence in the far north recently, as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently said in an interview with
CNN
.
For a country like Finland, which has seen itself threatened by Russia since the escalation of the Ukraine war and is aspiring to join Sweden with Sweden, this is reason enough for further concern.
The maneuver can therefore not only be seen as a message of deterrence, but also of support.
(vbu)
Just recently, the US and Latvia conducted military maneuvers in the Arctic.
The goal was to prepare for a mission against Russia.
Rubric list image: © Uncredited/imago