The U.S. B-52 bomber jet flew around the Baltic states and approached the Russian Federation

The B-52 strategic bomber jet of the U.S. Air Force flew over the Baltic countries and the Gulf of Finland.

The warplane approached the Russian island of Suursaari, located 40 km away from the coast of Finland.

The bomber was accompanied by Polish Air Force’s fighter jets.

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak reported this on Twitter.

Polskie myśliwce po raz kolejny eskortowały amerykański bombowiec B-52. To ważny element ćwiczenia interoperacyjności. Wspólnie dbamy o bezpieczeństwo wschodniej flanki NATO. pic.twitter.com/e740hkG4Ek

— Mariusz Błaszczak (@mblaszczak) March 11, 2023

“This was an important part of interoperability exercises. Together, we take care of the security at NATO’s eastern flank,” he wrote.

According to the flight monitoring website Flightradar24, the American B-52 bomber jet headed out from Poland through the Baltic Sea to the Gulf of Finland and returned to Estonia before Suursaari. After that, it flew over Latvia and Lithuania, also bypassing the Kaliningrad Region of the Russian Federation.

The Finnish Yle broadcaster notes that the American B-52 flight proves that the Gulf of Finland is strategic for NATO forces in Europe.

This was written by Mika Aaltola, Director of the Foreign Policy Institute.

“The flight of the U.S. B-52 in the Gulf of Finland sends a clear message. The Gulf of Finland is one of the most strategically important straits in Europe, where Russia has intensified its activities, for example, in Suursaar. This is how you support de facto allies and send a counter-deterrent signal,” he wrote.

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is the U.S. multifunctional heavy strategic bomber jet produced by Boeing. It has been in service with the United States Air Force since 1955.

The bomber’s arsenal includes various weapons, including nuclear weapons. In total, the internal bomb load is 31,500 kilograms.