The Russian factory that supplies Venezuela has presented its new version of the largest military helicopter in the world

(From Rostov-on-Don) Russia fired this week from the bad with its new helicopter Mi-26, a beast of 28 tons able to carry more than 80 men fully equipped for war vehicles or light armored vehicles. The new Mi-26, the world's largest heavy helicopterFinally, equipped with the technology of the 21st century, it finally pbaded all the tests and took off the flight over the Moscow sky.

Rostec, the production company, proud of its military creature, ensures that this ship can now make autonomous journeys, said SM Popov, veteran chief engineer: "With this new model, when the autopilot is activated, the lor helicopter can move autonomously on the road without the pilot being involved. "

For the moment, this model will only be intended for the Russian air force, although China, a great ally of the Kremlin when it comes to positioning itself systematically against the United States internationally, has already shown interest in winning this model, an aircraft that can make the difference in territories as difficult as Asia.

Latin America, the current battlefield of the Cold War 2.0 between Washington and Moscow, is the big goal of Rostec. Currently, countries like Mexico or Peru and even Colombia, traditional American ally in the southern cone they have Mi models but it's in Venezuela where the interest and support of Russia are more obvious.

The commercial adviser of Russian helicoptersSergey Ostapenko said in this regard that "if the Venezuelan government is ready to buy new helicopters, we will sell them to them, we have no restrictions on the sale of helicopters, the only restriction we have is UN sanctions ".

In the factory in Rostov-on-Don, in southern Russia, where for the first time in five years, a small group of reporters is allowed to enter, the activity is frenetic. The construction of the new Mi-26 is the center of attention of all, not in vain you only have to see their blades, the longest in the world, impressive.

This factory, a strategic center of high military importance for Moscow, is their place of origin the units that will be distributed by the allied countries of RussiaIt is also at this place that are repaired helicopters that have to go through the workshop, complex and expensive operation that takes time because of the complexity of logistics.

The situation will soon change for the customer and the Venezuelan ally, as Russia completes the installation of a repair and maintenance center for the "Mi" models on Venezuelan soil, which "contributes foremost to the solution of the problems related to the renovation, the maintenance of helicopter conditions ", in the words of the chief engineer of the Rostov factory, Alexander Latotsky.

The Kremlin's strategy to train Venezuelan pilots and offer them maintenance "in situ ", adds to the recent deployment of a hundred Russians in uniform in the Caribbean countryin a clear gesture of the Kremlin, saying that his support for Nicolás Maduro is total, not only in the political and economic, but also in the military field.

Since the political crisis erupted in Venezuela, the Kremlin has not hesitated to defend the legitimacy of Maduro. Although the oil agreements between Moscow and Caracas are important, they are not the main reason for the unconditional support of Russia.

For the Russian badyst Pavel Fengenhauer "military interests are the most important, far ahead of what is invested in hydrocarbons, which can easily be lost ".

Fengenhauer also points to the irony of Kremlin support for the Chavez regime, saying "Putin is a Christian right-wing nationalist. In Europe, Putin supports extremists and right-wing populists, but in Latin America he supports the left. Basically, the only Russian ideology is anti-American ".