MOSCOW

Russia announced on Tuesday that two Tu-95MS strategic bombers from its Aerospace Forces conducted a four-hour training flight over the neutral waters of the Barents Sea, which lies off Russia's northern coast and divides Norwegian territorial waters.

In a statement, the Defense Ministry noted that MiG-31 fighter jets escorted the bombers throughout the four-hour flight, with all aircraft strictly adhering to international airspace regulations.

The ministry emphasized that Russian pilots regularly fly over neutral waters such as the Arctic, North Atlantic, Black Sea, Baltic Sea, and Pacific Ocean.

The Tu-95MS bombers, part of the long-range aviation branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces, are a key component of Russia’s nuclear triad, along with submarines and intercontinental ballistic missiles.