Both Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, the leaders of Russia and North Korea, flexed their nuclear muscles by showcasing nuke-capable bombers and long-range ballistic missiles.
The Defense Ministry of Russia on Tuesday reported that two Tu-95MS strategic bombers executed a 10-hour flight over the Sea of Japan off the coast of the Russian Far East with Su-30SM fighter jets. This type of bomber can carry six to 14 nuclear cruise missiles.
On Wednesday, state media in North Korea said Kim visited strategic missile bases and called for maintaining a “counteraction posture” to launch the nuclear missiles promptly. A photo showed Kim was inspecting Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile launchers.
Russia and North Korea are among the nine countries armed with nuclear weapons in the world. It is estimated that the former has 4,380 nuclear warheads and the latter has around 50 nukes, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
The United States, Ukraine, and South Korea accused North Korea of sending thousands of troops to Russia, raising concerns about the potential for a broader conflict in the Russia-Ukraine war that involves a third country from Asia.
Russia and North Korea continued to deepen bilateral ties, with their leaders in June signing a landmark treaty on mutual military assistance in the event of an attack on either country.
The Tuesday flight of the Russian strategic bombers was also confirmed by the Defense Ministry of Japan. It said two pairs of bombers, under the escort of four fighter jets, approached the country’s west coast on Honshu, one of four Japanese main islands, into two groups.
The Japanese air force scrambled fighter jets, and the Russian military aircraft turned back over the Sea of Japan. The Defense Ministry of Russia said the flight mission was carried out in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace.
Japan has set up an air defense identification zone around the country for national security, which begins where sovereign airspace ends and is within the international airspace. The Japanese air force routinely intercepted Russian military aircraft in its air defense zone.
During his inspection of the undisclosed strategic missile bases, Kim said U.S. nuclear power was an ever-increasing threat to the North’s security environment, so North Korea needed to bolster up its “war deterrent” and take a nuclear counteraction posture.
Korean Central News Agency
The Hwasong-18 inspected by Kim is a road-mobile ICBM with an estimated range of 9,320 miles, capable of striking the continental U.S. after launching from the Korean Peninsula.
According to a photo published by the state media, Kim also inspected the Hwasong-16B, an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) that carries a hypersonic glide vehicle. The vehicle is a type of warhead that can maneuver and glide at five times the speed of sound.
IRBM has a range of 1,860 miles to 3,410 miles, which enables North Korea to strike the American military outposts in the Western Pacific Ocean, such as the island of Guam. This threatened the U.S. ability to project military power across the region during a conflict.
