<p>MOSCOW &mdash; The Russian military said Tuesday it has deployed three nuclear-capable long-range bombers to its base in Syria, a move that could strengthen Moscow’s military foothold in the Mediterranean.</p>
<p>Russia’s Defense Ministry said that three Tu-22M3 bombers have arrived at the Hemeimeem air base, located in Syria’s coastal province of Latakia and the main hub for Moscow’s operations in the country.</p>
<p>The ministry said bomber crews would fly a series of training missions over the Mediterranean. The Tupolev Tu-22M3, code-named Backfire by NATO, is a supersonic twin-engine long-range bomber which is capable of carrying nuclear weapons and has a range exceeding 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles).</p>
<p>Russia has waged a military campaign in Syria since September 2015, allowing Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government to reclaim control over most of the country following a devastating civil war.</p>
<p>The Russian ministry said the runway at Hemeimeem had been extended to host the heavy bombers and a second runway has been modernized. </p>
<p>Russia also has expanded and modified a naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus, the only such facility that Russia currently has outside the former Soviet Union.</p>
<p>As part of President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to beef up Russia’s military amid tensions with the West, the Russian navy in recent years has revived the Soviet-era practice of constantly rotating its warships in the Mediterranean.</p>
<p>The bombers’ deployment marks the first time since Cold War times that Moscow has stationed heavy bombers in the region.</p>
<p>About 60 Tu-22M3s are estimated to remain in service with the Russian air force, and some have flown bombing missions to strike militants in Syria from their bases in Russia. </p>
<p>Russian media reports said that the Tu-22M3 could be modernized to carry the latest hypersonic missiles.</p>