Russia sends powerful strategic bombers over Belarus in full tension with Poland over migrants

For the second day in a row, Russia on Thursday sent two strategic bombers on a training mission on Belarus, in a strong show of support from Moscow to its ally amid a dispute over migration on the border with Poland.

The Belarusian Defense Ministry reported that two Tu-160 strategic bombers carried out missions in the Ruzany range, located just 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of the Polish border. As part of the joint training, Belarusian fighter-bombers simulated an interception, the ministry said.

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The missions represent the second time in two days that Russia sends its nuclear-capable bombers into Belarusian airspace.

A pair of Tu-22M3 long-range bombers conducted a similar patrol on Wednesday and the Belarusian air defense practiced an interception.

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The Belarusian ministry said those flights will take place regularly.

The Russian armed forces said the bombers spent more than four and a half hours in the air on a mission designed to reinforce the alliance of the two countries. He noted that the air patrol “was not directed at any third country.”

Russia has backed Belarus amid a tense standoff this week as thousands of migrants and refugees, mostly from the Middle East, flocked to the Belarusian side of the border with Poland in hopes of crossing into Western Europe.

The European Union has accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of encouraging illegal border crossings as a “hybrid attack” in retaliation for EU sanctions on his government for cracking down on internal dissent following Lukashenko’s re-election in 2020.

Belarus denies the accusation, but noted that it will not detain migrants or others seeking to cross the border.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Defense of Belarus accused Poland of an “unprecedented” military deployment on the border, saying that migration control did not justify the concentration of 15,000 soldiers supported by tanks and other weapons.

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Deshawn