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Russia has staged nuclear drills off the north of Britain as one of Vladimir Putin's leading lieutenants advocated for the use of atomic weapons.
Tu-160 supersonic strategic bombers conducted a 16-hour mission over the neutral waters of the Barents and Norwegian Seas.
F-35 fifth-generation fighters from NATO intercepted the Russian intercontinental strategic bombers at a moment of high tension as Putin refuses to halt his war in Ukraine.
The Norwegian Sea lies north of Shetland, the UK's most northerly island grouping, between Norway and Iceland.
The Russian nuclear bombers were escorted by MiG-31 aircraft, and the Tu-160s practised in-flight refuelling, the defence ministry in Moscow revealed early today.
The Norwegian Air Force was involved in intercepting and tracking the Putin aircraft.
The Tupolev Tu-160 - NATO reporting name 'Blackjack' - is the largest and heaviest combat aircraft ever to enter operational service.
It can carry up to 45 tonnes of weapons internally, including both nuclear and conventional long-range cruise missiles.
Russia has staged nuclear drills off the north of Britain. Image shows a Tu-160 supersonic strategic bomber over the neutral waters of the Barents and Norwegian Seas
A Russian pilot appears inside a Tu-160 nuclear bomber during the 16-hour mission
F-35 fifth-generation fighters from NATO intercepted the Russian intercontinental strategic bombers. Pictured: Russian Tu-160 nuclear bombers are escorted by Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II jets, marked, near Norway
It came as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov advocated for the use of nuclear weapons at a closed meeting of the Council on Foreign and Defence Policy, according to an eyewitness.
Political analyst Andrey Kolesnikov said that when asked whether Russia should use nuclear weapons, Lavrov said: 'Well, I would still use them.'
Lavrov said earlier this month that nuclear war was possible if the West refused to kowtow to Putin's demands for ending the war in Ukraine.
'This state of affairs poses serious threats to global security,' he said.
'A direct confrontation between NATO and Russia could rapidly escalate into an exchange of nuclear strikes, with catastrophic consequences,' he said.
Overnight, Ukraine again pounded Russian positions in and around annexed Crimea, with oil terminals and military facilities ablaze.
A resurgent Kyiv believes it is weakening the Russian grip on the Black Sea peninsula, where the summer tourist season has been virtually cancelled, with chronic petrol and diesel shortages and regular blackouts.
Russia was forced to close the £3billion Crimean Bridge amid fears of a strike on the crossing.
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