Russian state TV has released video footage showing President Vladamir Putin co-piloting a nuclear-capable strategic bomber in an unknown location.
The video is seen as Putin’s attempt to bolster its image ahead of Russian elections, which he is poised to win without a doubt.
Message To The West?
Media organizations and political experts had linked Putin’s ambitious bomber ride to remind about the nuclear era when both the Soviet Union and the US competed to obtain destructive war capabilities.
The bomber, dubbed “White Swans”, can carry 12 short-range nuclear missiles and fly up to 12,000 kilometers non-stop without refueling.
95% Nuclear Forces Modernized
On the occasion of Russia’s annual Defender of the Fatherland Day, Putin claimed that 95% of the Kremlin’s nuclear arsenal has been modernized.
“Today, the share of modern weapons and equipment in the strategic nuclear forces has already reached 95 per cent,” Putin added a day after he flew the bomber.
