| Putin Watch - Flexing muscle near Norway |
|
| |
| |  This Russian Tupolev was clearly carrying a cruise missile when it flew off Norway's northern coast on August 28. PHOTO: FORSVARET
Cold War shivers re-emergeNorway's military has felt it necessary to dispatch fighter jets 29 times so far this year, to monitor Russian military flights offshore. Now it's emerged that at least one of the Russian aircraft was equipped with a cruise missile. Newspaper Aftenposten carried a photo of the Russian Tupolev 22 bomber on its front page on Thursday. The photo was taken by a Norwegian fighter jet crew sent out to monitor the flights of two such aircraft about seven weeks ago. Military officials say the two Russian flights were in "classic position" to fire cruise missiles off Bodø, but both turned away before reaching Norwegian territory, 12 nautical miles from land. The maneuvers were said to be "unusual," and part of a series of Russian flights in recent months that many are beginning to view as "sabre-rattling" on the part of Russian officials keen to assert their authority in the area. Norwegian military officials are quick to note that the missile incident wasn't considered a direct provocation. Tor Sandlie, chief of NATO's air operations in northern Norway, told Aftenposten that "we look at this as normal training activity." |
|
Click here for full article. |
|
Follow this blog
