http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080423/105729737.html
Russian bombers patrol over Atlantic Ocean
MOSCOW, April 23 (RIA Novosti) - Two Russian Tu-95 Bear strategic bombers and
two Il-78 aerial tankers are carrying out routine patrols over neutral Atlantic
waters, a Russian Air Force spokesman said on Wednesday.
Interceptions of Russian combat aircraft by NATO fighters are becoming a common
occurrence again, after Russia resumed strategic bomber patrol flights over the
Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans last August, following an order signed by
President Vladimir Putin
"During the flights the crews develop their flying skills in northern
latitudes, over unmarked terrain," Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky said.
He said the crews also perfect their in-flight refueling techniques, allowing
the bombers to remain in the air for more than 24 hours and is considered
extremely difficult "especially when the Russian planes are accompanied by NATO
interceptors."
"All Russian Air Force flights are performed...in strict accordance with
international rules on the use of airspace over neutral waters without
violating the borders of other states," he also said.
Although it was common practice during the Cold War for both the U.S. and the
Soviet Union to keep nuclear strategic bombers permanently airborne, the
Kremlin cut long-range patrols in 1992. The decision came as a result of the
collapse of the Soviet Union, and the ensuing economic and political chaos.
However, the newly-resurgent Russia, awash with petrodollars, has invested
heavily in military technology, and the resumption of long-range patrols is
widely seen among political commentators as another sign of its drive to assert
itself both militarily and politically.
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