US Media Accuses Russia of Saber-Rattling Over Flight in Int'l Airspace

Two Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bombers flew past the US island of Guam on November 25 in what was a legal move under the international law, the Washington Free Beacon reported, citing US defense officials.

The Russian aircraft did not violate US airspace. A source told the publication that Japanese jets were scrambled to intercept the bombers.

An Ilyushin Il-78 Midas air force tanker and a Tupolev Tu-95 Bear strategic bomber at the military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of Victory in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War

© Sputnik / Vladimir Sergeev

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Army Maj. Dave Eastburn, a Pacific Command spokesman, "sought to play down the incident, noting that the flights 'in no way' violated US airspace around the island," the Washington Free Beacon added.

Although the Tu-95s remained in international airspace for the whole duration of the flight and posed no threat to anyone, the media outlet described the incident as "the latest case of Moscow's nuclear saber rattling."

The Pacific island of Guam is home to US Navy and Air Force facilities, which are about to undergo a $8.7 billion upgrade. In the coming years nearly 5,000 US marines, as well as advanced aircraft and ships, are expected to be deployed to the base. The facilities will turn into "a maritime strategic hub," as the US military newspaper Stars and Stripes described it.

The American political and military establishment has long accused Moscow of a military buildup at a time when the US has dramatically increased the number and scale of war-games conducted with other NATO members and allied countries close to Russia's borders.

For its part, Moscow has repeatedly stated that it does not pose a threat to any country, in Europe or elsewhere.