Russian bomber missions 'not a sign of aggression'

Russia’s recent resumption of long-range bomber missions is not a sign of aggression and authorities are informing other countries of the flights in advance, an Air Force spokesman said today.

President Vladimir Putin announced last week that Russian bombers had started flights over the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans for the first time since the break-up of the Soviet Union.

The announcement, and earlier reports that British and Norwegian warplanes had scrambled to keep watch on Russian bombers that were approaching their airspace, raised concern that Russia was stepping up efforts to intimidate the West.

“There’s no sabre-rattling,” Air Force spokesman Col. Alexander Drobyshevsky was quoted as saying by the RIA-Novosti news agency.

“Our pilots are not invading someone else’s space and there is nothing aggressive about these actions in relation to other countries.”

Drobyshevsky also was quoted as saying that the air force gave advance notice of the long-range missions.