MOSCOW, February 1. /TASS/. Two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers have performed a 16-hour flight above the neutral waters of the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the Arctic Ocean, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"The flight assignment lasted more than 16 hours. During the flight, planes of the long-range aviation performed aerial refueling," the ministry said in a statement.

Russian long-range aircraft perform regular flights over neutral waters of the Arctic, North Atlantic, Black and Baltic Seas, and the Pacific Ocean. All the flights are carried out in strict compliance with the international rules on the use of airspace, without violations of other states’ borders.

Earlier in the day, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said earlier on Saturday that it had "identified two Tu-160 Blackjack Russian Bombers entering the Canadian Air Defense Identification Zone on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020."

"The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter United States or Canadian sovereign airspace," NORAD said in a Twitter post.

NORAD Commander Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy, said the country’s adversaries "continue to flex their long-range weapons systems and engage in increasingly aggressive efforts," but assured that North American Aerospace Defense was ready to defend the US and Canada from any attack.