U.S. B-52s Fly Over Territory Neighboring Ukraine

U.S. B-52H Stratofortress bombers flew Friday over NATO territory close to Ukraine, where Russian forces are waging a full-scale invasion.

The aircraft that flew over Romania, a NATO member bordering Ukraine, were not engaged in combat operations — even if they do serve as a show of force in the face of Russian aggression. The bombers were taking part in close air support and integration mission training, said the U.S. Air Forces in Europe.

After taking off from RAF Fairford, a Royal Air Force base in England, the bombers headed to Germany, where they exercised alongside U.S. and German joint terminal attack controllers, and then completed the training operation in conjunction with Romania.

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“BTF rotations give us a critical opportunity to integrate and train with our allies and partners, especially during this difficult time,” said Gen. Jeff Harrigian, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe — Air Forces Africa and NATO’s Allied Air Command. “Training together ensures the defensive power of NATO remains unmatched.”

The CivMilAir Twitter account tracked what it said was a pair of B-52H bombers in Romanian airspace before they headed back to Hungary.

The Stratofortress is “a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions. The bomber is capable of flying at high subsonic speeds at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet. It can carry nuclear or precision guided conventional ordnance with worldwide precision navigation capability,” according to the Air Force.

The aircraft that flew over Romania are from the 5th Bomb Wing out of Minot, North Dakota.

(AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entered its second week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky raged at NATO for refusing to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine, where Russian forces have yet to gain air superiority in the face of fierce resistance, over trepidation that NATO forces would be forced to shoot down Russian planes violating the ban. Ukraine is not a member of NATO.

“By refusing to establish a no-fly zone, today NATO leaders gave the ‘green light’ for further bombing of Ukrainian cities and villages,” Zelensky said Friday, according to a translation. “All the people who will die from this day will also die because of you, because of your weakness, because of your disunity.”

The invasion began last week with Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing a “special military operation” that he said was aimed at the “demilitarization and denazification” of Ukraine, not its occupation. Putin also warned other countries that any attempt to interfere would lead to “consequences you have never seen.”

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Although Russia‘s forces greatly outnumber Ukraine’s, progress with the assault has been slower than Moscow expected, according to Western intelligence assessments. Putin placed his nuclear forces on high alert Sunday, citing “aggressive statements” by NATO and Western sanctions.

Countries around the world, including the United States, have condemned Moscow’s invasion and have unleashed a wave of new sanctions on Russia. Although they aren’t sending troops to fight for Ukraine, over the past couple of days, President Joe Biden and other world leaders have authorized tens of millions of dollars in additional military support for Ukrainian forces.

The U.S. and Russia have also established a so-called deconfliction line, which Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told Fox News is not so much in response to Putin placing his nuclear forces on high alert Sunday but rather the “degree to which Ukrainian airspace became contested over the last several days.”

“The Ukrainians are flying their aircraft. They’re launching missiles. They’re defending themselves. But the Russians have aircraft and missile systems as well inside Ukrainian airspace,” Kirby said. “Most of the airstrikes that we’re seeing on these population centers are actually being launched from inside Ukraine. So that buttresses up right up against the airspace of NATO nations, particularly on NATO’s eastern flank. That really was what made us feel that this is the right thing to do. A deconfliction channel was important for that purpose.”