MOSCOW, September 15 (RIA Novosti) - Tu-95MS strategic missile carriers and Tu-22M3 bombers have moved from the base airfields to the tactical airfields of the Eastern Military District as part of an unannounced combat readiness check, said the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry.
"As part of a combat readiness check of the Eastern Military District forces, the crews of the Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 missile carriers will be patrolling various areas and providing aviation support to the Pacific Fleet," the ministry said in a statement.
The press service pointed out that all flights will be carried out in strict accordance with the international rules of the use of the airspace over neutral waters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered snap combat readiness drills in the Eastern Military District starting September 11.
Air defense and military units were put on full combat alert from 10 a.m. Moscow time [06:00 GMT] on Thursday. According to the Defense Ministry, a number of the district's airborne units are to carry out combat readiness drills on the Kuril Islands, near the city of Anadyr in the Chukotka Autonomous Area, and on the island of Sakhalin.
In August, an unannounced inspection of the Eastern Military District's combat readiness took place and was a success. During the inspection, the district's coastal troops carried out vehicle marches and practiced air and harbor defense during a coastal defense simulation.
