Tu-160 strategic bombers flew over neutral waters in the Barents and Norwegian seas, the Defense Ministry has said
Russian Tu-160 nuclear-capable strategic bombers flew over the neutral waters of the Barents and Norwegian seas, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. The mission took place amid continuing tensions between Moscow and NATO over the Ukraine conflict.
The aircraft were escorted by MiG-31 fighter jets and conducted mid-air refueling drills during what the ministry described as a routine patrol flight over the Arctic region between Norway, Iceland and Greenland. According to the ministry, the bombers were shadowed by fighter aircraft from unspecified foreign countries during parts of their 16-hour mission.
“All flights of the Russian Aerospace Forces are conducted in strict accordance with international rules governing the use of airspace,” the ministry said on Telegram.
Last month, Russia and its close ally Belarus conducted their first joint nuclear exercise. President Vladimir Putin said that nuclear deterrence protected the sovereignty of both countries at a time of “growing global tensions, as well as the emergence of new threats and risks.”
Moscow has repeatedly warned that NATO’s military support for Ukraine and what it describes as the growing militarization of Europe could lead to a broader conflict. “A direct confrontation between NATO and Russia could rapidly escalate into an exchange of nuclear strikes, with catastrophic consequences,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov wrote in a recent op-ed that was rejected by Politico Europe. He also expressed “deep concern” over France’s proposal to extend its nuclear deterrent to Germany and other NATO members.
Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum this month, Putin reiterated that Russia would not attack a NATO member unless Russia itself was attacked first.
