Vladimir Putin’s nuclear bombers have been spotted in the skies over western Russia after his warship sank in the Black Sea. Footage shows four Russian Tu-95s, known as Bears, flying in the Kaluga region, close to Ukraine. Moscow has in the past used long-range bombers to strike Kyiv with non-nuclear cruise missiles. However, there are fears that the Russian president may escalate his attacks after Ukrainian missiles destroyed Moscow’s flagship. The Black Sea missile cruiser was a huge force on Putin’s naval front, hitting the ports of Odessa and Mariupol. His friends claimed he sank in stormy seas after a fire caused by an ammunition explosion – but Ukraine says it was shot down by two Neptune rockets. An image has also appeared that claims to show the last moments of Moscow. To view this video, enable JavaScript and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Nuclear bombers flew close to eastern Ukraine (Image: Metro.co.uk) The ship appears to share similarities with the Moskva flagship, although it remains unconfirmed (Image: Twitter) The warship was used to hit port cities such as Odessa and Mariupol (Image: Wikimedia Commons) Black smoke appears to be falling from the sinking boat, with lifeboats in the sea. A source told Russian media that the ship sank shortly after the photos were taken. If it is genuine, it was probably seized by a nearby Turkish ship, which is rumored to have rescued 54 men. There are speculations that hundreds may have died on the ship amid a virtual blackout of news from the Kremlin propaganda machine. Moscow made headlines a few days after the invasion, when a Ukrainian soldier was filmed saying “go with yourself, Russian warship” as his crew threatened to bomb Snake Island. Contact our news team by emailing us at [email protected] For more stories like this, check out our news page.
