Image by Dmitry Terekhov
TU-160
This week Russia flew two nuclear weapon capable bombers to the socialist nation of Venezuela, where Nicolas Maduro has destroyed the resource-rich country with Marxist policies. Russia sees an opportunity to gain influence in Latin America, on the doorstep of the United States.
“Two Tu-160 strategic bombers, an An-124 heavy military transport plane and an Il-62 long-haul plane… have landed at the Maiqueta ‘Simon Bolivar’ International Airport of the Venezuelan capital city,” Russian military channel Zvezda reported, wrote The Moscow Times.
Last week, Moscow and Caracas reportedly signed investment contracts worth billions of dollars during Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s three-day visit to Russia. The leader called Russia a “brother country” with which Venezuela had “raised the flag for the creation of a multipolar and multicentric world.”
Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was cited as saying by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency on Thursday that he hoped that military cooperation between the two countries would continue as it “benefits both Venezuela and Russia,” wrote The Moscow Times.
#Russia's government has sent bombers halfway around the world to #Venezuela. The Russian and Venezuelan people should see this for what it is: two corrupt governments squandering public funds, and squelching liberty and freedom while their people suffer. pic.twitter.com/bCBGbGtaHT
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) December 11, 2018
The Kremlin had nothing good to say of course about Pompeo’s comments.
“It certainly is rather undiplomatic…We consider this statement to be totally inappropriate,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added.
