On December 10, 2018 two Tu-160 strategic bombers arrived in Venezuela. The aircraft landed at Maiquetia airport outside Caracas. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the aircraft flew from their bases in Russia (most likely from Engels) "over the Atlantic, the Barents, Norwegian, and Caribbean seas." The bombers do not carry any armaments.

The planes that went to Venezuela this time are Vasili Reshetnikov (No. 2) and Nikolai Kuznetsov (No. 10).

This is the third time Russian Tu-160 bombers visit Venezuela. The first visit took place in September 2008, the second one - in 2013. During the 2013 visit, the planes also visited Nicaragua.