RTMon, 24 Jun 2019 21:29 UTC
© Reuters / Manaure QuinteroAn airplane with the Russian flag is seen at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas, Venezuela June 24, 2019.
A Russian 'Air Force plane' has landed in Venezuela, according to photos and flight tracker data. In March, a similar event sparked a heated war of words between Moscow and Washington.
The plane arrived at Venezuela's "main airport" on Monday, Reuters reported, referring to the Simon Bolivar International Airport outside of the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. The agency did not provide any further details about the aircraft.
However, the photos released indeed show an Il-62 plane with a Russian flag and a tail number RA-86496 parked at the Caracas airport. The flight tracking website
Flightradar24 describes this plane as a Russian Air Force Il-62M.
© Reuters / Manaure QuinteroAn airplane with the Russian flag is seen at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas, Venezuela June 24, 2019.
If confirmed,
it seems that the same plane arrived in Venezuela as part of a group of two aircraft back in March, which sparked a dispute between Moscow and Washington. March reports about the two planes
carrying troops and cargo landing in Venezuela led Washington to demand Moscow "get out" of what it sees as its own "backyard."
Comment: Meanwhile the
Russian navy stops by Cuba as part of what seems to be an official tour where it has visited a number of allied countries with this stop over being under the watchful eye of the US:
A Russian Navy frigate armed with cruise missiles has arrived in Havana Harbor for an official visit. As Russian seamen stretch their legs on shore, US warships idle nearby and quietly observe their counterparts.
© Reuters / Alexandre Meneghini
Her crew are expected to "carry out a program of activities that includes courtesy visits to the chief of the [Cuban] Revolutionary Navy, as well as touring places of historical and cultural interest," according to Cuban state media.
As the Russians sailed into port, American warships loomed along Cuba's coast, with the guided missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham keeping the closest watch just a few miles away.
The Admiral Gorshkov made headlines when it passed by Northern Scotland in March, with hysterical media reports that the ship carried a "hallucination weapon" on board, a reference to the 5P-42 Filin "electro-optic countermeasure" device now equipped on the warships of her class.
The Russian missile frigate's visit to Havana is sure to stoke anxieties in Washington, especially as President Donald Trump's White House continues to wrangle with Moscow over missile defense and arms reduction agreements such as the INF treaty or the New START deal.
It's notable that that the US is attacking
Russia,
Cuba and
Venezuela with sanctions:
Comment: Meanwhile the Russian navy stops by Cuba as part of what seems to be an official tour where it has visited a number of allied countries with this stop over being under the watchful eye of the US: It's notable that that the US is attacking Russia, Cuba and Venezuela with sanctions: