Russia's Tu-160 Missile Carriers Flew Over Northern Seas, Atlantic, Defence Ministry Sa

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Two Russian missile carriers Tu-160 flew over the Barents and the Norwegian Seas, as well as the Atlantic Ocean, escorted by Royal Norwegian Air Force planes, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Monday.

"Two strategic missile carriers Tu-160 performed a planned flight in airspace over the neutral waters of the Barents, the Norwegian Seas and the Atlantic Ocean ... At certain stages of the route, Russian aircraft were escorted by MiG-31 of the Russian Navy, as well as F-16 fighters of the Royal Norwegian Air Force", the statement says.

The flight lasted about 10 hours, the ministry said.

"All flights of aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces are carried out in strict accordance with the international rules for the use of airspace", it said.

On 12 September, two Tupolev Tu-142 maritime patrol aircraft of the Russian armed forces have conducted scheduled flights above the neutral waters of the Barents, Norwegian and North Seas.

The Russian Armed Forces detected 41 foreign jets that were engaged in reconnaissance activities close to Russia’s airspace last week, the military’s official newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda reported on 11 September. The foreign jets had been prevented from illegally entering Russia’s airspace, the newspaper said.