MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. Russia’s Tu-95MS strategic bombers have performed a planned flight mission over the neutral waters of the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea, and were accompanied by foreign fighter jets in some areas, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"Tu-95MS long-range bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces made a scheduled flight in the airspace over the neutral waters of the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea. The flight duration was more than seven hours," the ministry said.

Su-33 fighter jets of the Russian Navy escorted the long-range bombers. "At certain stages of the route, long-range bombers were escorted by fighter jets of foreign countries," the ministry added.

The ministry said that long-range aviation crews regularly fly over the neutral waters of the Arctic, North Atlantic, Pacific oceans as well as Baltic and Black seas.

"All flights of the Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft are carried out in strict compliance with international rules on the use of airspace over international waters," the Russian military reiterated.