A warning to the West? Putin flies nuclear-capable plane, talks of "next-generation technology"

Just days before the second anniversary of the war between Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin sent a message to the West to remind it of Moscow's nuclear capabilities. The Russian president rode as a companion on a refurbished nuclear plane, spoke of "next-generation technology" and broadcast the video on public television.

The Russian president is under constant attack following the death in prison of opposition politician Alexei Navalny. Joe Biden, the European Union and David Cameron, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, were among the most direct in blaming Putin for the event that shook the country a few days ago.

Cameron went further and accused the Russian leader during a G20 event in Rio de Janeiro. When it was his turn to speak, he looked directly at his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, assuring those present that Russia is responsible for Navalny's assassination and that they "will have to pay for it."

In this hostile context, Putin climbed into a modernized Tu-160M strategic bomber, known to NATO by the code 'Blackjacks.'

Although the original version dates back to the Cold War, the new model continues to be useful for launching long-range weapons.

According to the Interfax news agency, the flight trajectory that carried Putin was a military secret, and the president remained in the air for about 30 minutes.

After the flight, Putin described the aircraft as "excellent" and slipped that it could be accepted into the Russian armed forces.

"The equipment is excellent. It is, indeed, of a new generation. I told the commander of the ship, now I will tell the leadership of the Ministry of Defense again: of course, it can be accepted into the armed forces," he added.

As for the aircraft's characteristics, it is capable of carrying 12 cruise missiles or 12 short-range nuclear missiles and can fly 12,000 km (7,500 miles) non-stop without refueling.

According to a contract signed in 2018, 10 of the modernized Tu-160M nuclear bombers are to be delivered to the Russian Air Force by 2027 for a total cost of 15 billion rubles, bringing the per-unit cost in dollars to $163 million.