US 'message' for Russia on 3rd anniversary of Ukraine war

File photo used for representation (AP)

In perhaps a message to Moscow on the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine, US on Monday deployed its B-25H Long-Range Strategic Bombers near the Russian border in a show of force.

According to OSINTdefender, a self-declared open-source intelligence monitor focused on Europe and conflicts across the world, B-52H bombers were seen flying over the Baltic Sea and heading towards Finland.

"U.S. Air Force B-52H Long-Range Strategic Bombers from RAF Fairford are currently flying over the Baltic Sea heading North towards Finland, likely as a “Message” to Russia on the 3-Year Anniversary of their Invasion of Ukraine," the post said.

They were later seen flying over eastern Estonia, less than 50 miles from the Russian border.

The X handle said that the long-range, subsonic strategic bombers, launched from the RAF Fairford in UK, will likely participate in the Estonian Independence Day Parade in Tallinn.

U.S. Air Force B-52H Long-Range Strategic Bombers from RAF Fairford are currently flying over the Baltic Sea heading North towards Finland, likely as a Message to Russia on the 3-Year Anniversary of their Invasion of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/pLm3SJ1nJl

OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) February 24, 2025

Last week too, Russia had intercepted two B-52 Stratofortress bombers near Russia's Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad.

The US bombers were in the Baltic Sea region to train together with their NATO ally Finland, which shares a 1,340 km (833 mile) border with Russia, amid escalating tensions stemming from Western backing for Ukraine to counter Russia's invasion.

The recent maneuvers by US comes just days after Russia fired a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile at Ukraine last Thursday in response to a decision by US and Britain to allow Kyiv to strike Russian territory with advanced Western weapons.

US President Donald Trump, who spoke to Putin on phone after returning to the White House, has said he wants to deliver a peace deal to end the war which he says has killed vast numbers of people.

Washington is also pushing Kyiv to quickly negotiate a deal to open up Ukraine's natural wealth to US investment.

The United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine during the war and Trump has said US investment in Ukrainian minerals could ensure "that we're going to in some form get this money back."

Monday marks the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war, the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II. Russia’s army crossed the border on February 24, 2022, in an all-out invasion that Putin sought to justify by saying it was needed to protect Russian-speaking civilians in eastern Ukraine and prevent the country from joining NATO.