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Recently, some "unusual" signals in western Russia can be said to have scared the Ukraine side very much. However, in the face of the Zelensky government's request for help, the same nervous NATO chose to "view on the wall" because they knew in their hearts that Ukraine was not the "ultimate goal" of the Russian army's operation, and Putin is likely to be preparing for a "showdown" operation.
(multiple strategic bombers appeared in western Russia)
According to Global Network , according to the report of the "War Zone" column on December 2, several media and military observation agencies recently discovered that there were abnormal military mobilizations in western Russia through the latest satellite aerial images provided by commercial satellite companies. Multiple photos show that the number of has exceeded the previous Tu-160 and Tu-95MS strategic bombers appeared in the Engels Air Force Base in western Russia.
latest data shows that during this week, at least 31 military aircraft appeared in the Engels base, including at least 20 -95MS and 6 -160 bombers . In addition, a large number of Il-76 transport aircraft frequently appeared, which is not the case with those bombers that may be maintained in the hangar. Half a month ago, the total number of military aircraft appeared in the base was only 15, which was obviously unusual.
(the bomber group within the Engels base)
German arms control experts warned Spiegel that the surge in the number of bombers means that the Russian army's air strategic operations based on the base will become more frequent. And what Russia is facing is Ukraine and even the entire Europe. Therefore, the real purpose of the Russian army's "strategic movement" this time may be to issue a warning to the entire Western world .
Ukraine was very nervous about this. After discovering a large number of Russian bombers "combine" in groups, the Ukrainian army sounded the national air raid alarm the next day and asked people to enter the shelter. Ukrainian air force spokesman Inat publicly stated that the activities in the Russian Engels base may mean that the Russian army will launch a new round of air raids.
(a large number of Tu-95 bombers in Engels base)
Faced with the potential "strategic threat" of the Russian army, Ukraine chose to continue to request "added assistance" from NATO. Ukraine has recently asked the United States to provide more advanced "Patriot" regional air defense system to counter the powerful air strike force of the Russian Aerospace Force. However, unexpectedly, the United States, which had always "gifted generously" before, turned directly on Ukraine's request and publicly stated that "the United States will not consider deploying a Patriot system to Ukraine for the time being" . Obviously, in the face of a large number of strategic bombers from the Russian army, the United States dare not take risks - if the Patriot missile beats down Tu-95, it is likely to lead to a "full-out war" between NATO and Russia.
(The US military refuses to provide the "Patriot" system to Ukraine)
However, the appearance of a large number of strategic bombers in western Russia is not the same as the Russian army is preparing to start a "strategic strike" against the entire Western world. In fact, it is very reasonable for those bombers to appear there: because the 121st Guard Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment stationed in Engels Air Force Base is the only Russian army equipped with Tu-160 bombers ; and the 184th Guard Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment, which also belongs to the base, is one of the only four Russian Aerospace Forces equipped with Tu-95 bombers.
Some scholars pointed out that in May this year, the number of bombers in the base "splashed" to more than 20 s at one point. This may be because the Russian bomber troops need to return to the base periodically for rest and rest, which does not mean that the Russian army will launch a "strategic offensive" immediately.
(Tu-160 launches cruise missiles)
Moreover, Moscow often deploys strategic bombers to the border, but basically they are for deterrence tasks rather than actual combat tasks. For example, in October this year, several Tu-160s from the Russian army also appeared at the Orenian Air Force Base, which is only 20 miles from the Norwegian border, to show Moscow's dissatisfaction with NATO operations.
analysis pointed out that the Russian military's "abnormal movement" is unlikely to be a signal that Moscow decided to expand and escalate the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The biggest possibility is to carry out large-scale air strikes on targets in Ukraine as before. But if NATO continues to gain a stunt, challenge Russia's bottom line, and even ignores Russia's obstruction to deploy more advanced weapons to Ukraine, then the next time these strategic bombers will probably be more than the conventional missiles .
