Australian Strategic Policy Institute Senior Analyst Dr Malcolm Davis says if Russia established an airforce base in Papua, 1300km north of Darwin it would give them the opportunity to attack Northern Australia with bombers that have nuclear capabilities.

He told Katie Woolf it’s highly likely Moscow made a formal request to the Indonesian Government which has said it’s not going to happen, but noted the Russians operated two aircraft from an Indonesian airbase in 2017, justifying the concerns.

Dr Davis says Russia and China are flexing their muscle to directly challenge liberal democracies around the world, suggesting Russia’s move could be part of a broader plan.

He says Australia is facing “extremely dangerous times”, the most dangerous we’ve seen since the end of World War II.

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