14 August 2024 , 21:09
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Vladimir Putin deployed two Tu-95MS strategic nuclear missile carriers over Nato waters after accusing Britain of coordinating the incursion into Russia with Ukraine, it has been reported.
MiG-31 combat warplanes belonging to the Alliance escorted the Kremlin’s jets, which buzzed over the Norwegian Sea.
Separately, two Tu-22M3 long-range bombers flew over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea.
Both the Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 bombers – key parts of Russia’s nuclear arsenal – were escorted by Nato planes during their ‘scheduled’ flights.
This is the latest of the Kremlin’s reconnaissance flights as part of its ongoing attempts to taunt the bloc.
It comes after it accused the UK of involvement in Ukraine’s attack on the border region – now in its second week and forcing Putin to move reserves on a massive scale to Kursk.
Assault troops have pushed about a mile farther into Russia on Wednesday, the commander of the Ukrainian military, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, said in a video posted on president Volodymyr Zelensky’s Telegram channel.
In addition, more than 100 Russian soldiers have been taken prisoner, Syrskyi added.
These ones were spotted over the Norwegian Sea (Picture: MoD Russia/e2w)
The news comes as Ukraine advance into Russia (Picture: MoD Russia/e2w)
He claimed Ukrainian forces have advanced about 390 square miles into Kursk, though it was not possible to independently verify that claim.
If true and if Ukraine actually controls all of that territory, it would have captured in just one week almost as much Ukrainian land as Russian forces took between January and July this year, according to calculations by the Institute for the Study of War.
Russian authorities acknowledged the Ukrainian gains, but they described them as smaller.
Even so, they have evacuated about 132,000 people from the Kursk and Belgorod regions and have plans to evacuate another 59,000 more.