USAF B-52 Bomber Reportedly Spotted Flying Near Russia's Borders in Baltic Sea

A US Air Force Boeing B-52H Stratofortress approached to within about 160 km of the border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on Friday, data from the PlaneRadar monitoring resource indicates.

"16:25 Moscow time. A US Air Force #Boeing B-52H #Stratofortress strategic bomber, registration number 61-0009, engaging in imitation of the bombing of the base of the Russian Baltic Fleet."

The B-52H, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, was said to have been flying at over 960 km per hour as it skimmed the Polish maritime border in the Baltic Sea heading northeast before turning around and heading southwest. According to PlaneRadar, the bomber engaged in an immitation run of a mission aimed at bombing the Russian Baltic Fleet's base.

The US and its NATO allies have increased the reconnaissance activities of their aircraft and drones near Russia's borders significantly in recent years as part of a growing number of exercises in the region and the buildup of NATO troops deployed in Eastern Europe. USAF aircraft including the P-8A Poseidon spy plane and the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk drone regularly fly near Russia's borders in the Baltic and Black Seas, as well as near Syria in the Mediterranean, with flights especially common near Russian military bases in these regions.

According to the Russian military, the Russian air force detected and accompanied over a thousand foreign spy planes flying along Russia's borders in 2018.