The Russian Defence Ministry has published a video with key outtakes from a recent seven-hour flight of two Tu-160 (NATO reporting name - Blackjack) strategic bombers above neutral waters in the Baltic Sea. Notably, the video shows how one of the bombers was apparently being escorted by a foreign jet. This is in line with an earlier report by the Russian ministry, which said that at certain points during the flight the Tu-160s were accompanied by Danish F-16, Finnish F-18, and Swedish JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets.
Russia’s MoD also noted that its aviation regularly carries out flights above the Arctic and Northern Atlantic oceans, as well as over the Black and Baltic Seas, stressing that during such flights, Russian jets never violate the airspace of other countries or international laws.
The Tu-160, one of the world’s biggest strategic bombers, is also known in the military as the "White Swan" for the huge span of its white-coloured wings. The bomber holds multiple world records, among others for being the largest military jet capable of reaching speeds of over Mach 2.