United Kingdom

Four Russian nuclear bombers have been spotted flying near the Ukrainian border

The alarming sight of Russian nuclear-capable bombers flying near the border with Ukraine (Photo: east2west news)

Vladimir Putin’s nuclear bombers were spotted in the skies over western Russia after his warship sank in the Black Sea.

The footage shows four Russian Tu-95s, known as Bears, flying in the Kaluga region near Ukraine.

Moscow has previously used long-range bombers to strike Kyiv with non-nuclear cruise missiles.

But there are fears that the Russian president may escalate his attacks after Ukrainian missiles reportedly destroyed his flagship Moscow.

The Black Sea missile cruiser was a huge force on Putin’s naval front, smashing the port cities of Odessa and Mariupol.

His friends say he sank in a stormy sea after a fire caused by exploding munitions – but Ukraine says he was shot down by two Neptune rockets.

An image has also emerged claiming to show Moscow’s last moments.

To view this video, please enable JavaScript and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Nuclear bombers flew near eastern Ukraine (Photo: Metro.co.uk) The ship appears to share similarities with Moscow’s flagship, although it remains unconfirmed (Photo: Twitter) such as Odessa and Mariupol (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Black smoke can be seen pouring from the sinking ship, and there are lifeboats in the sea.

A source told Russian media that the ship sank shortly after the photos were taken.

If true, he was probably captured by a nearby Turkish ship that is said to have rescued 54 men.

There is speculation that hundreds may have died on board amid a virtual shutdown of news from the Kremlin’s propaganda machine.

“Moscow” first hit the headlines a few days after the invasion, when a Ukrainian soldier was filmed saying “fuck off, Russian warship” as his crew threatened to fire on Snake Island.

Contact our news team by sending us an email at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, see our news page.

Get the latest news you need to know, good mood stories, analysis and more