Russia’s Tu-160 missile-carrying strategic bombers completed a 16-hour flight over the neutral waters of the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea on Tuesday, according to a post from the country’s defense ministry on Telegram.
The mission included an air-to-air refueling test and was characterized by the ministry as a routine operation. Russian MiG-31 fighter jets flew alongside the bombers throughout the flight, and at various points along the route, foreign fighter jets joined as escorts — though the ministry did not identify which countries sent those aircraft.
Russia shares its northern border with NATO alliance members Norway and Finland, making the region a strategically sensitive area for both Russian and Western military forces.
