Two MiG-31 fighter jets have for the first time in the history of Russia’s Navy have flown over the North Pole and were refueled on the way, the Navy’s commander-in-chief, Nikolai Yevmenov, told President Putin.

"Within the framework of an Arctic expedition for the first time ever in the history of Russia’s Navy a pair of MiG-31 jets performed a flight over the North Pole and were refueled in midair," Yevmenov said.

Earlier, the Pacific Fleet’s commander, Admiral Sergey Avakyants, said that groups of long-range interceptors MiG-31 had entered duty in the Arctic.