A pair of Russia’s Tupolev Tu-95MS strategic missile-carrying bombers has performed a scheduled flight over the Barents, Norwegian and North Seas, the Defense Ministry of Russia reported on Monday.

"Two Tu-95MS strategic missile-carrying bombers have performed a scheduled flight in the airspace over the Barents, Norwegian and North Seas. The flight lasted over 9 hours," the Defense Ministry said.

"At certain stages of their flight, the long-range aircraft were escorted by F-16 planes of the Norwegian Air Force," the ministry stated.

As the Russian Defense Ministry stressed, "long-range aviation pilots regularly perform flights over the neutral waters of the Arctic, the Atlantic, the Black and Baltic Seas and the Pacific Ocean in strict compliance with the international rules of using the airspace, without violating the borders of other states."

As the Russian Defense Ministry stressed, "long-range aviation pilots regularly perform flights over the neutral waters of the Arctic, the Atlantic, the Black and Baltic Seas and the Pacific Ocean in strict compliance with the international rules of using the airspace, without violating the borders of other states.