NATO deploys fighter jets as Putin levels main nuclear drills off Britain
NATO scrambled F-35 jets after Russia sent nuclear-capable Tu-160 bombers on a tense 16-hour mission near Britain amid rising Ukraine war escalations
Russia’s Tu-160 aircraft carried out a menacing 16-hour mission just off the British coast (archive pic)(Image: MoD Russia)
Vladimir Putin has sent nuclear-capable bombers on a menacing 16-hour mission just off the British coast, sparking a rapid scramble from NATO forces.
The Russian tyrant ordered his massive Tu-160 strategic missile-carriers into the skies over the Barents and Norwegian Seas, directly north of the UK’s Shetland Islands.
In a tense show of military might, the Kremlin’s supersonic bombers even executed mid-air refuelling manoeuvres. They were flanked by MiG-31 fighter jets during the provocative war games. The Russian defence ministry attempted to downplay the chilling airborne display, claiming the flight was a “routine” mission.
However, Western forces took no chances. The Norwegian Air Force instantly deployed state-of-the-art F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighters to intercept the Russian aircraft, closely shadowing them through the skies.
Reports from Ukrainian newspaper Mezha suggest planes from other nations also joined the Russian formation, though it remains unclear which countries participated in the aerial sabre-rattling.
The Tupolev Tu-160 is a terrifying piece of military hardware as the largest and heaviest combat aircraft ever to enter operational service.
It is also capable of carrying a staggering 45 tonnes of internal weaponry and its payload includes both conventional and nuclear long-range cruise missiles.
Putin’s latest attempt to intimidate the West coincided with another night of relentless, bloody bombardments across Ukraine.
Six civilians were injured in the latest wave of strikes. Two elderly people were wounded in the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, three people were hurt in Sumy, and a woman was injured during a drone strike on Kharkiv.
Meanwhile, a brief air raid alert sent residents in the capital city of Kyiv rushing for cover. The escalations come after President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a stark warning that intelligence indicates Russia is preparing a massive, coordinated assault on Kyiv.
The Kremlin’s aggressive posturing also follows a humiliating security breach last week, when a swarm of Ukrainian drones bypassed Moscow’s newly-upgraded air defences to strike a vital oil refinery.
The Kapotnya Oil Refinery, which keeps Moscow moving by supplying up to 70 per cent of the capital’s fuel, was left in ruins.
Explosive footage captured the moment massive fireballs and plumes of thick black smoke swallowed the facility, located just ten miles from Putin’s doorstep.
The chaos also follows high-stakes drama in the English Channel on June 14, when elite British commandos stormed the Smyrtos, a suspected Russian “shadow fleet” oil tanker.
In a furious response to the vessel’s seizure, a disgruntled Putin reportedly threatened to rig his remaining tankers with explosives to trigger catastrophic blasts right on Britain’s doorstep.
