[Source/Observer Network, Wang Shipin] According to a report on "The War Zone" (TWZ) website on April 15, Jane's Defense Weekly "exclusively reported" on April 14 that Indonesia had received an official request from the Russian military to allow Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) bombers to be stationed at the Manuhua Air Base in the easternmost province of Indonesia.

This piece of news has raised concerns among Australians. In response, the Australian military urgently refuted the report on Monday, saying they had not received any relevant information. The Indonesian side also denied this report, while the Russian side chose not to comment.

Social media image of a Tu-95 bomber visiting Indonesia in 2017.

The Manuhua Air Base is only 1,200 kilometers away from Darwin, a northern city in Australia. Jane's Defense Weekly claims that independent sources within the Indonesian government have confirmed to the publication that Indonesian Defense Minister Shafri Shamshuddin received this request after meeting with Russian Federal Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu in February 2025.

The British military publication stated that it did not receive details about which type of bomber Russia was seeking to deploy at the base. However, over the past few years, the Russian Aerospace Forces have made several temporary requests for Tu-95 bombers and Il-76 transport aircraft to land at the same airbase in Indonesia.

This老牌British military media elaborately analyzed that as China, Russia, and the U.S. all seek to expand their influence in the South Pacific, Russia may want to deploy long-range bombers closer to Australia. The U.S. maintains a military presence in Australia and is working to improve the Tindal airbase to accommodate B-52 bombers.

This report caused concern among both the ruling and opposition parties in Australia. Prime Minister Albanese and Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles (Richard Marles) urgently sought more details about the situation.

In response, the Australian military denied the report. Marles told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that he had spoken with Indonesian Defense Minister Shafri Shamshuddin to understand the situation and ultimately clarified that this matter "will not happen."

Shafri told Marles that he had not received any such request from the Russian side, although this does not rule out the possibility that the request may have been made at a lower level.

The Kremlin refused to comment on the specific content of the report, but its spokesperson Peskov stated: "There are many different rumors and reports circulating now, including some involving sensitive areas."

As early as 2017, Russia's Tu-95 bombers had visited the Manuhua Air Base in Indonesia and subsequently conducted patrol missions in the South Pacific. The Russian Ministry of Defense press release at the time stated that two Tu-95 strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces flew nearly 7,000 kilometers from Ukraine Air Base in Amur Oblast, Far East Russia, in 10 hours to reach Biak Island in Papua Province, Indonesia. Subsequently, the two bombers took off from Indonesia to carry out patrol missions in the South Pacific, taking 8 hours.

Associated Press said this was the first such deployment by Russia since the end of the Cold War.

Despite the ongoing "special military operation," Indonesia and Russia have maintained relatively good relations. Last October, Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Sergei Tolchenov (Sergei Tolchenov) told the Russian state media TASS in an interview that military cooperation was an "important component" of bilateral relations. Last November, Russia and Indonesia held joint naval exercises in the Java Sea. In February, former Russian Defense Minister and current Federal Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu (Sergey Shogiu) visited Indonesia.

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7493745417545400859/

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