Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu accused United State of rehearsing a nuclear strike on Russia with bombers coming from two directions earlier this month and complaining that the planes were within 20 kilometers of the country’s border.
The indictment comes at a time of heightened bilateral tension over Ukraine as US officials have expressed fears of a possible Russian attack on their southern neighbor, a hint the Moscow government said was false.
Russia in turn accused the United States, NATO and Ukraine of provocative and irresponsible behaviour, emphasizing the supply of arms to Ukraine, the Ukrainian use of Turkish drone strikes against American separatists in the east, with the support of Russia, and NATO military exercises near the border Russian.
Minister Shoigu said his country has seen a significant increase in US strategic bomber activity, with about 30 flights flying near the airport. Russia in this month. That was three times more than it was in the same period last year, he said.
Shoigu complained privately about what he described as a simulation of a nuclear attack on Russia in early November.
“The Secretary of Defense confirmed that during the US military exercise Global Thunder, ten US strategic bombers attempted to launch nuclear weapons at Russia from the west and east,” he said in a statement issued by his briefcase. “The minimum proximity to our national border was 20 km.”
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