Two Russian strategic bombers landed in Venezuela today as part of military manoeuvre - an unprecedented deployment to the new ally's territory amid increasingly tense relations with the United States.
The Russian Defence Ministry said the two Tu-160 bombers flew to Venezuela on a training mission and will conduct training flights over neutral waters in the next few days before returning to Russia, according to a statement carried by Russian news wires.
Ministry spokesman Alexander Drobyshevsky refused to say how long the deployment would last or whether the planes were carrying any weapons.
Nato fighters escorted the two Russian bombers on their way to Venezuela, the Russian military said.
Russia had said this week it would send a naval squadron and long-range patrol planes to Venezuela in November for a joint military exercise in the Caribbean.
The planes' deployment on Wednesday was certain to anger Washington. Relations between the US and Russia have been badly strained the war short last month between Russia and US-allied Georgia.
The deployment appeared to be a retaliatory move after the US sent warships to deliver aid to the former Soviet nation of Georgia, barely a month after Russian armor and aircraft crushed the Georgian military in a five-day war.
