16 August 2024 , 17:01
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Germany’s Air Force confirmed in a post on social media this week that it had deployed fighters to intercept the Russian planes as they navigated over seas bordering NATO nations
Vladimir Putin has stoked World War Three fears following the deployment of four nuclear-capable fighter planes over NATO-adjacent seas.
The Russian Army has confirmed that it deployed two Tu-95MS strategic bombers the Barents and Norwegian Seas, both of which border multiple countries within the western military pact. The massive four-engine Cold-War era bombers were originally designed to drop nuclear munitions, and one was once responsible for dropping the Tsar Bomba, the most powerful nuclear device ever detonated.
A further two Tu-22M3 long-range bombers - also with nuclear capabilities - dispatched over the Baltic Sea in a move that could be seen as risky, given the large number of nearby NATO members. The Baltic Sea has recently been dubbed "NATO lake" thanks to the recent accession of Finland and Sweden, both of which border the massive body of water.
Tu-22 planes were also involved in the exercise ( Image: Mikhail Tereshchenko/TASS)
Russia’s military representatives have stressed that the flights over both seas were for training purposes, with the Tu-95MS units participating in exercises and the Tu-22’s escorting. Moscow has insisted the four-hour operation strictly adhered with international airspace regulations.
But the insistence didn’t mean it wasn’t a surprise to some western military officials, with Russian officials reporting encounters with "foreign fighter aircraft" during the exercise. Representatives would not go into further specifics about the reported incursions.
Germany’s air force, the Luftwaffe, provided an explanation with a post on X, formerly Twitter, stating it had deployed Eurofighter Typhoons from Latvia to intercept the Russian planes. The social media post confirmed that the Russian planes were "handed over" to on-duty Swedish squadrons. The post read: "The Eurofighter VAPB in Germany were alerted today by the NATO CAOC Uedem to identify a group of aircraft consisting of two TU-22 BACKFIRE and several SU FLANKER. The armed aircraft were then ’handed over’ to the alert squadron."
Russia has frequently utilised Tu-22M3 bombers in its invasion of Ukraine, with the country stating in April that it had successfully shot one of the units down over its territory. Russian officials claimed the plane crashed as it returned to base, blaming the alleged accident on a technical malfunction. A 2024 Military Balance report issued by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates that Russia’s air force currently has 57 Tu-22M3s in stock.