The Kremlin will be “deploying Tu-160 strategic aircraft” to Venezuela after seeking permission from the country’s socialist leader Nicolas Maduro, according to state-sponsored news agency TASS. Russian experts selected the island of La Orchila, 125 miles northeast of Venezuela’s capital Caracas, as a possible military base in the Caribbean, TASS said. And now their plan can become reality if the cash-strapped country gives Moscow the permission to set up the base.
The country’s laws forbid the Government from allowing the construction of a full-military base within its borders.
But the deployment of the Tupolev Tu-160, a supersonic heavy strategic bomber designed by the Soviet Union’s Tupolev Design Bureau, would be “temporary”, according to official sources, allowing Mr Maduro to easily give the go-ahead.
Military expert Colonel Shamil Gareyev told the Russian newspaper Novaya Gozeta: “It is the right idea to include Venezuela in long-range aviation missions.
“Our strategic bombers will not only not have to return to Russia every time, but also won’t perform aerial refuelling while on a patrol mission in the Americas.
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“Our Tu-160 aircraft arrive to their base in Venezuela, conduct flights, execute their missions and are then replaced on a rotating basis.
“This is how it should be done.”
Two nuclear-capable Tu-160 flew over the Caribbean sea over the weekend while undertaking a 10-hour training mission with the Venezuelan Air Force.
This new alliance in Central American between socialist governments and the Kremlin is a reminiscent of the height of the Cold War.
In 1962 the Soviet Union deployed ballistic missiles in Cuba as a response to the United States’ decision to do the same in Turkey and Italy.
Russia looks set to expand its influence also in the far-east, as it has built new barracks on a island chain near Japan disputed by Tokyo and the Kremlin.
Both Tokyo, which recognises the archipelago with the name of Northern Territories, and Moscow, which calls the area Southern Kurils, have been claiming sovereignty over the area since the end of World War II.
After confirming troop facilities had been completed, Russia’s defence ministry said the country plans to create more buildings for military vehicles.
This new development has thrown into doubt Japanese President Shinzo Abe’s planned visit to Moscow in January to discuss the dispute.
The parts have held several meetings within the past decades, but little progress has been made.
Tokyo says it fears Russian military expansion on the islands which have included warplane and missile defence deployments.
Meanwhile, Moscow says it is concerned about Japan’s roll-out of the Aegis Ashore US missile system in the region.