A Russian Air Force chief said Saturday that the country could base some strategic bombers in Cuba or on an island offered by Venezuela, the Interfax news agency reported, but a Kremlin official quickly said the military had been speaking only hypothetically.The U.S. and Russia have been trying to reset their relationship, severely strained over U.S. plans to position missile defense elements in Poland and the Czech Republic and by Russia's invasion of U.S. ally Georgia last year.
Russia has nothing to gain strategically from basing long-range craft within relatively short range of U.S. shores, independent military analyst Alexander Golts said, calling the military statement a retaliatory gesture aimed at hitting back after U.S. ships patrolled Black Sea waters near Georgia.
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Sadly, this could be seen coming months ago when the Russians left behind maintenance and operational equipment for the Backfires last year.
ReplyDeleteNot a shock, just a cause for alarm.
Not very much alarm, methinks. Those planes are very isolated and very far from home, without anything like enough protection from air or missile attack. The Russian General Staff isn't stupid; they know how vulnerable they are. The bombers would be deployed solely for political reasons, not military ones.
ReplyDeleteIn a crisis with Russia they would be more like hostages than a real threat.