“Russian Aerospace Forces long-range bombers were escorted by Su-35S fighters. In certain sections of the route, the aircraft were also escorted by fighters from foreign countries,” the ministry’s press release, cited by the propaganda news agency TASS, stated.
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As stated by Russian military officials, the flight lasted almost four hours.
Representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense noted that long-range aviation crews regularly conduct flights over the neutral waters of the Arctic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Black Sea, and Baltic Sea. According to them, all flights by Aerospace Forces crews are carried out in strict compliance with international rules for the use of airspace.
However, the Romanian defense news portal “Defense Romania” noted that each Tu-22M3 bomber was equipped with a Kh-22/32 cruise missile.
The article’s author noted that a video published by the Russian Ministry of Defense’s television channel “Zvezda” showed that the Russian bomber patrol mission was carried out with weapons on board.
“Thus, in each aircraft, in the middle part of the plane, under the fuselage, a Kh-22/32 cruise missile was installed,” said Ionel Copcea.
The analyst speculated that both bombers took off from Shaikovka airfield in the Kaluga region, where the 52nd Aviation Regiment of the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division – Engels (Saratov region) – of Long-Range Aviation is deployed.
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During each such mission, the flights of Russian bombers are closely monitored by allied military aviation, especially in light of the numerous incidents and provocations that have recently occurred in the Baltic region.
Similar bombers, also escorted by Su-35 fighters, flew in this area in April of this year.
At that time, a group of Russian bombers and fighters in the Bornholm island area was escorted by two F-35A fighters of the Royal Danish Air Force.
Earlier, a Russian Tu-142 aircraft approached a British aircraft carrier, simultaneously deploying dozens of hydroacoustic buoys. The UK Ministry of Defense called the actions of the Tu-142 aircraft “dangerous and unprofessional.”
And even before that, Polish fighters were forced to intercept an Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft, which was carrying out tasks near NATO borders.
