MOSCOW, October 14. /TASS/. Two Tu-160 strategic bombers have flown a 12-hour mission over neutral waters of the Barents, Norwegian and North Seas, being shadowed by aircraft from the British and Norwegian air forces along certain sections, Russia’s Defense Ministry told reporters on Wednesday.
"Two Tu-160 strategic missile-carrying bombers conducted a scheduled flight in airspace over the neutral waters of the Barents, Norwegian and North Seas. The flight lasted 12 hours," the Defense Ministry said.
According to the ministry, MiG-31 fighter jets of the Russian naval air force accompanied the bombers along certain sections of their route along with Eurofighter Typhoon fighters of the UK’s Royal Air Force and F-16 of the Royal Norwegian Air Force.
The Defense Ministry emphasized that long-range crews flow regular missions in international airspace over the Arctic, Pacific and north Atlantic as well as over the Black and Baltic Seas.
"All the flights of the Russian Aerospace Forces are conducted in strict compliance with international airspace rules," the ministry added.