Vladimir Putin is flexing his muscles as the war in Ukraine prepares to enter its third year.
A video, published this Thursday, shows him boarding a Tupolev Tu-160M strategic bomber, called the White Swan in Russian.
This modernized aircraft can carry a nuclear charge.
It is the largest supersonic aircraft in the world.
This aircraft is a modernized version of a Cold War bomber, the Tu-160, designed in particular to be deployed in the event of conflict with NATO.
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A warning, perhaps, against the West which supports Ukraine.
The Russian president announced this Friday that Russia has modernized 95% of its nuclear weapons, including 100% in its naval component.
“It’s a new machine, and a lot of things are new. It's easier to control. It’s reliable
,” explained the master of the Kremlin on state television.
Vladimir Putin flew for around thirty minutes, reports the Russian news agency Tass.
The route is “a military secret,” assured Dmitri Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson.
The plane was named Ilya Muromets, a hero of Russian tales who embodies the ideal knight.
Vladimir Putin had already flown in a Tu-160 in 2005 to visit the Northern Fleet.