MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/. US strategic bombers approached the Russian borders within the area of responsibility of Russia’s Baltic Fleet more than ten times in 2020, Baltic Fleet Commander Admiral Alexander Nosatov said on Monday.

"This year, over a thousand reconnaissance flights have been registered near the state border within the Baltic Fleet’s area of responsibility, which is about 150 flights more compared to last year. US strategic bombers approached our borders more than ten times. Last year, for example, only two such cases were observed," the admiral said in an interview with the Defense Ministry’s Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper.

For the first time ever, the strategic bombers performed flights in groups in 2020, he said.

Further strengthening air defense is a priority task for Russia’s Baltic Fleet, the commander said.

"Today, a fighter aviation regiment armed with Su-27 fighters, an air defense large unit outfitted with S-400 ‘Triumf’ anti-aircraft missile systems, a separate surface-to-air missile regiment equipped with Tor-M2 surface-to-air missile complexes and air defense systems of surface ships are protecting the Baltic sky day and night," the admiral stressed.