MOSCOW, August 14. /TASS/. Russia’s strategic missile-armed Tupolev-160 and Tupolev-95MS, as well as long-range bombers Tupolev-22M3 have performed scheduled flights over the Arctic and the Black Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry has said.

"Long-range aviation aircraft performed scheduled flights in the airspace over the international waters of the Baltic, Barents, Norwegian, East Siberian, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas and the Arctic Ocean," the Defense Ministry said.

The longest flight lasted more than seven hours. Sukhoi-35S Sukhoi-27 and MiG-31 escort fighters of the Aerospace Forces and naval aviation provided support.

According to Long-Range Aviation Commander Lieutenant-General Sergey Kobylash all flights were carried out in strict compliance with international rules of using airspace.

"Long-range aviation pilots regularly fly over the international waters of the Arctic, the North Atlantic, the Black and Baltic Seas, and the Pacific Ocean," he said.