Two Russian strategic missile carriers Tupolev Tu-95MС conducted a scheduled flight over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan and the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean.
"The escort was provided by the crews of the Sukhoi Su-35C aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces. The flight duration was more than nine hours. At certain stages of the route, the Russian strategic missile carriers accompanied the F-15 fighters of the Japanese Air Force," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The ministry stressed that the crews of Russia's Long-Range Aviation regularly patrol airspace over the neutral waters of the Arctic, North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as Black and Baltic Seas. "All flights of the aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces are carried out in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace," the Defense Ministry noted.
For its impressive size and powerful weapons, the Tupolev Tu-95 is known in the West as the Bear. The wingspan of the aircraft is more than 50 meters. The Tu-95 is used to attack most important targets in remote areas and in deep inland theaters of continental military operations.