Russian strategic bombers on patrols have no N-weapons on board

Moscow, Aug 21 (UNI) Russian long-range strategic aircraft are on continuous patrol missions without having any nuclear weapons on board, Deputy Commander of the Russian Long-Range Aviation Major-General Anatoly Zhikharev said here today.

''All such planes are provided with training missiles.

Continuous alert missions were resumed on August 17 on decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and President of the Russian Federation after an interval from 1992,'' Maj Gen Zhikhatev said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on August 17 the resumption of Soviet-era practice of sending Russian strategic bombers on long-range flights after a gap of about 15 years, citing security threats posed by other military powers to Russia.

''They are being flown in difficult conditions, including pre-reconnaissance, refuelling in the air, and opposition to fighters of NATO and other countries,'' Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying.

''We have continued the Soviet times tradition and are flying missions in the north-eastern part of the Atlantic Ocean, over the Norwegian, Northern and Japanese Seas, and also beyond the North Pole and over the Aleutian Islands,'' Maj Gen Zhikharev pointed out.

He said Russian pilots were not intruding into foreign airspace.

''There is nothing aggressive in respect to other countries,'' he said, adding, ''two crew rotations a week are needed to keep the pilots trained and this is a normal regime for the Air Force.'' UNI