MOSCOW, October 24. /TASS/. Tu-95MS strategic bombers performed a routine flight over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported.

"Tu-95MS strategic bombers from [Russia’s] long-range aviation fleet performed a routine flight in the airspace above the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan. The flight lasted more than 11 hours," the ministry specified.

The bombers were escorted by Su-35S and Su-30SM fighters of the Russian Aerospace Forces. Foreign fighter jets, too, were scrambled to identify the strategic Russian aircraft on certain legs of their route.

Russian long-range aviation crews regularly conduct patrols over the neutral waters of the Arctic, the Northern Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea. "All flights by aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces are in strict compliance with international rules for using airspace," Russia’s top brass emphasized.