[johnny7]

...they probably just found a bunch of retired pilots...gave them some booze and walked right back into the cockpit to fly.

Yup... I bet the average age of the pilots was somewhere between 55-60.

[Ax]

I wonder if any of the old air bases in Cuba are still operational, and can they handle the TU-95’s landings/takeoffs. If they are, the Russians are going to have to arrange to send avgas there by the boatload, ‘cuz Fidel and Raoul sure won’t have enough to service the Bears.

[Zerodown]

average age of the pilots was somewhere between 55-60.

The Bear stays up so long, that the 55 year-olds will be 60 when they land. Vladisvostok to Guantanamo and back at 350 km/hr, let's see, that's what, about 5 years?