(Bloomberg) -- President Vladimir Putin flew on one of Russia’s newest strategic bombers, which is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, a show of military might as his war in Ukraine appears to turn in his favor.

Putin took off for a 30-minute flight in the Tu-160M from an aircraft plant that produces the jets in Kazan, 720 kilometers (450 miles) east of Moscow, the Interfax news service reported. The bomber’s route wasn’t disclosed, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Interfax. 

“We’re receiving new technology, excellent equipment,” Putin said after the flight, according to state-run Tass news agency, adding the plane would be put into service by the Air Force. 

Putin took the trip as he’s seeking a fifth presidential term in elections next month that he’s all-but certain to win. The demonstration of Russia’s nuclear capability comes as its invasion of Ukraine approaches a second full year on Saturday, with Putin’s forces on the offensive after capturing the eastern city of Avdiivka. 

The trip wasn’t Putin’s first in a military airplane. He flew in an earlier version of the Tu-160 during military drills in 2005. In 2000, he joined a Su-27 fighter jet flight, briefly taking over the controls mid-air, the Kremlin said at the time. 

Read more: War in Ukraine Is Turning in Putin’s Favor After Months of Stalemate

The Russian Defense Ministry has said the Tu-160 is the fastest missile-carrying bomber in service in the world, capable of reaching speeds up to 2,200 kilometers per hour (1,370 mph). By contrast, the US’s B-1B Lancer strategic bomber has a speed of more than 900 mph, according to the Air Force.

(Updates with flight being completed, and comment from Putin in third paragraph.)

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