"Two Tu-95MS long-range strategic missile carriers conducted a scheduled flight in airspace over the neutral waters of the Chukchi Sea. The flight duration stood at more than 12 hours," the defense ministry said in a statement.
During the flight, the bombers were escorted by crews of Su-35S aircraft of the Russian aerospace forces, the statement read. The flight was conducted "in strict accordance with the international rules of use of airspace," commander of long-range aviation of the Russian aerospace forces, Lt. Gen. Sergey Kobylash, said.
Long-range aviation pilots regularly fly over the neutral waters of the Arctic, the North Atlantic, the Black and Baltic Seas, and the Pacific Ocean, the Russian Defense Ministry explained.