USA deeply concerned about Russian

nuclear-capable bombers returning to Cuba

Washington is deeply concerned about an opportunity
for Russia to use Cuban air bases to deploy its strategic bombers there
in response to US missile defense plans in Europe. Gen. Norton Schwartz
stated that Russia would be crossing a red line with such an intention.
"I certainly would offer
best military advice that we should engage the Russians not to pursue
that approach," Schwartz told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
"And if they did, I think we should stand strong and
indicate that that is something that crosses a threshold, crosses a red
line for the United States of America."
Russia's Izvestia newspaper reported this week that
Moscow was considering an opportunity for strategic bombers to fly to
Cuba in response to USA's intentions to deploy the missile defense
system in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Russian strategic aircraft Tu-160 (known as the White Swan) and Tu-95MS can technically reach Cuba. It was even said
that they had already landed on the Island of Freedom.
It goes without saying that the USA has its own eyes
and ears on the island � the Guantanamo base. Therefore, if Russian
bombers had landed in Cuba, the international scandal would have
happened already.
Lieutenant-General Leonid Ivashov, the former
chairman of the International Cooperation Department of the Russian
Defense Ministry, stated that Cuba did not need Russian bombers for
constant deployment, although Russia could still use Cuba as a
refueling base for nuclear-capable bombers.

Ivashov believes that Cuba would not mind Russia
deploying its electronic surveillance posts on the Lourdes radar base,
which was closed in 2001. The official reminded that the facility was
previously used for the prevention of nuclear attacks during the Soviet
era.

Russia 's military and transport aircraft perform frequent commercial flights to Cuba nowadays.

"The possible deployment of the Russian strategic
aviation in Cuba could be a very good response to USA's plans to deploy
NATO bases near Russia's borders," Russia's former Air Force Commander,
Pyotr Deinekin said.

"I do not see anything biased about it, because the
USA treats Russia as nobody when it decides to station its air bases
and radar posts in close proximity to Russian borders," the general
said.

"Russian strategic bombers can patrol the US
coastline for about 1.5 hours, refuel and return back to Russia," the
official said.

Deinekin reminded that Russia, as the successor of
the USSR, already has the experience of performing long-distance
flights and deploying Soviet troops in Cuba.

The long-distance aviation of the Soviet Union
performed patrolling flights near USA's shores in the beginning of the
1980s, when US deployed ground-launched cruise missiles in the south of
Britain, in the north of Italy and in Western Germany. In addition,
Soviet strategic bombers regularly patrolled geographically remote
areas.

All those flights were ceased in 1992 due to the lack of fuel,
the withdrawal of Russian troops from former allied republics and the
destruction of the national long-distance aviation system.

The US Department of State has not commented on a
possibility for Russian strategic bombers to return to Cuba yet. The
Department needs first to find out the position of the US government on
the matter.

https://english.pravda.ru/russia/politics/23-07-2008/105854-russian-bombers-0