Russian long-range bombers conduct flight over Baltic Sea

ISTANBUL

Russian long-range Tu-22M3 bombers carried out a planned flight over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, the country’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

“The Tu-22M3 long-range bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out a planned flight in the airspace over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea,” the ministry said in a statement.

Su-30SM and Su-27 fighter jets provided escort during the mission, the ministry added.

The flight lasted more than four hours, and at certain stages, the Russian bombers were accompanied by foreign military aircraft, according to the statement.

“Long-range aviation crews regularly fly over neutral waters of the Arctic, North Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Baltic and Black Seas. All flights of aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces are carried out in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace,” it said.

Russian long-range bomber patrols over international waters, particularly near Europe, have drawn criticism from NATO countries in recent years, which often scramble fighter jets to monitor such flights.