Russian state television showed footage of President Putin's giant plane taking off and landing at a factory runway in the city of Kazan, with reporter Pavel Zarubin calling it a "unique event," according to Reuters.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Tu-160M's flight path was a military secret. Putin's flight lasted 30 minutes, according to Russian news agencies.
Earlier in the day, Russian state television reported that Putin boarded a Tu-160M after visiting the aircraft's factory in the Russian city of Kazan.
Tu-160M strategic bomber at the Kazan Aviation Plant in Russia on February 21.
After being on the flight, President Putin assessed the Tu-160M as "reliable" and could be assigned to the air force.
This is not Mr Putin's first trip on a military aircraft. The Russian leader flew on an earlier version of the Tu-160 during a 2005 exercise.
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The Russian Defense Ministry said the Tu-160 is the fastest missile-carrying bomber in service in the world, capable of reaching speeds of up to 2,200 km/h. Meanwhile, the US B-1B Lancer strategic bomber has a speed of more than 1,448 km/h, according to the US Air Force.
The Tu-160M is capable of carrying 12 cruise missiles or 12 nuclear-capable missiles and can fly continuously up to 12,000 km without refueling.
Under the contract signed in 2018, 10 modernized Tu-160Ms at a cost of 15 billion rubles ($163 million) each will be delivered to the Russian Air Force between now and 2027.
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