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Moscow regrets redeployment of US B-52 bombers to Europe

Such actions by the United States breed more tensions, according to the Kremlin spokesman
US strategic bomber B-52 EPA/Jakub Kaczmarczyk
US strategic bomber B-52
© EPA/Jakub Kaczmarczyk

MOSCOW, March 21. /TASS/. The redeployment of six US strategic bombers B-52 to Europe breeds tensions, the Kremlin believes.

"It goes without saying that such actions by the United States by no means strengthen the climate of security and stability in a region adjoining Russia," presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Thursday. "On the contrary, this breeds more tensions."

"We find such actions by Washington regrettable," Peskov stated, adding that "only Russian military specialists were in the position to comment on the redeployment of bombers "from the military and tactical point of view."

The US television network CNN said on Wednesday that six B-52 bombers were redeployed from Louisiana to Europe for "theater integration and flying training" in cooperation with NATO allies and partners. The CNN said the redeployment was a message to Russia on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of Crimea’s unification with it.

A bomber task force of B-52 Stratofortresses, airmen and support equipment from the 2nd Bomb Wing based out of Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, arrived at RAF Fairford late last week and has been participating in various training missions across Europe, the CNN said. On Monday, four B-52s "conducted flights to several places in Europe, including to the Norwegian Sea, the Baltic Sea/Estonia and the Mediterranean Sea/Greece," the broadcaster quotes the US Air Force as saying.