Russia’s defense minister has blamed the United States for saying that US bombers simulated a nuclear strike against Russia from two different directions earlier this month, claiming that their planes had reached a distance of 20 kilometers from Russia.
The accusation comes amid a period of high tension between Washington and Moscow over Ukraine, with US officials voicing concerns about a possible Russian attack on its southern neighbor, which the Kremlin has dismissed as untrue.
Moscow has accused the United States, NATO and Ukraine of provocative and irresponsible behavior, saying the United States is supplying weapons to Ukraine, that Ukraine is using Turkish drones against Russian-backed separatists in the east. Ukraine, as well as that NATO is conducting military exercises near its borders.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said during talks with his Chinese counterpart Wei Feng that Moscow had seen a significant increase in US strategic bomber activity near its borders, which it said it had carried out this month. 30 flights near Russia, which is 2.5 times more than the flights made during the same period last year.
“This month, during the US Strategic Forces’ Global Thunder exercise, 10 strategic bombers carried out nuclear strike simulation exercises against Russia, in fact from both the west and the east,” Shoigu said.
“The minimum distance from our state border was 20 kilometers,” Soigu said.
The Russian defense minister made the remarks during a witty conference with Chinese counterpart Wei Feng, stressing that US bomber flights near Russia’s eastern border also pose a threat to China.
Sergei Shoigu also said that the development of cooperation between Russia and China is particularly relevant in conditions of “increasing geopolitical instability and increasing conflict in various countries of the world”, noting that “China and Russia have been strategic partners for many years.”
Global Thunder, which this year tested US nuclear-capable B-52 bombers, is the annual US Strategic Command exercise and is designed to test and demonstrate US nuclear capabilities.
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