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Russia may base bombers in Cuba

MOSCOW: Russia may “possibly” use airfields in Cuba and Venezuela to station its strategic bombers on global patrol flights, said a senior Russian Air Force commander.

Cuba has four or five airfields with 4,000-metre runways that Russian heavy bombers can use, Chief of Staff of Russia’s strategic aviation, Major-General Anatoly Zhikharev told the Interfax news agency.

“If there is political will of the two heads of state we are ready to fly there,” he said.

The Air Force commander said Venezuela’s leader Hugo Chavez had offered Russia for use “a whole island with an airfield.”

“If appropriate political decisions are taken, the Russian Air Force can use La Orchila Island.”

Major-General Zhikharev said Russia had no plans to set up permanent airbases either in Cuba or Venezuela and could only use their airfields for temporary deployment of strategic bombers on long-range flights. Russia resumed global patrolling by its Tu-160 and Tu-95 bombers in 2007 after a break of 15 years. Two Tu-160 long-range bombers flew to Venezuela last year in a high-profile demonstration of Russia’s strategic military reach.

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