Russian bombers fly to Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela – Two Russian strategic bombers landed in Venezuela on Wednesday as part of military maneuvers, President Hugo Chavez said, welcoming the unprecedented deployment at a time of increasing tensions between Moscow and the U.S.

The Venezuelan leader said the two Russian Tu-160 bombers will conduct maneuvers and that he hopes to “fly one of those things” himself.

Russian military analysts said it was the first time Russian strategic bombers have landed in the Western Hemisphere since the Cold War. The provocative foray into Venezuela was certain to add to the strain in U.S.-Russian relations created over Russia’s war in Georgia.

Chavez called the deployment part of a move toward a “pluri-polar world” – a reference to moving away from U.S. dominance. “The Yankee hegemony is finished,” Chavez said in a televised speech.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the bombers flew to Venezuela on a training mission and would conduct training flights over neutral waters in the next few days before returning to Russia, according to a statement carried by Russian news wires.

Ministry spokesman Alexander Drobyshevsky refused to say how long the deployment would last or say whether the planes were carrying any weapons.