MOSCOW, Feb 22, 2024 (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin took a test ride on a supersonic military plane capable of carrying nuclear warheads, state media reported on Thursday.
The apparent show of strength comes just two days before Moscow marks the second anniversary of its military assault on Ukraine, where it has been trying to gain momentum.
The Tu-160M missile carrier was seen taking off from the runway of an aircraft manufacturer based in Kazan, central Russia, before returning moments later, state TV showed.
“This is really a new machine, new in many ways. It handles better. You can see even with the naked, untrained eye,” Putin told a scrum of state reporters after disembarking.
Footage of him greeting officials near the bomber was aired uninterrupted on state television, which then showed the 71-year-old climbing down from the plane by ladder.
Putin spent 30 minutes on the plane, a Soviet-designed strategic bomber that forms part of Russia’s nuclear arsenal, state news agencies reported.