Two armed Russian bombers flew over Norwegian waters

Two Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers armed with Kh-101 cruise missiles conducted a flight lasting approximately five hours on Tuesday over international waters in the Barents and Norwegian Seas, north of Norway. To monitor the Russian formation, Norway deployed two F-35 fighter jets from Evenes Air Station.

Moscow announced the flight as a scheduled patrol. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the bombers were escorted by Russian Navy Su-33 aircraft, while foreign aircraft tracked them during certain stages of the mission.

Images released by the Russian ministry show that the bombers were carrying Kh-101 missiles mounted under their wings, which are frequently used by the Russian military in attacks on targets in Ukraine. The aircraft took off from Olenya air base on the Kola Peninsula, near Murmansk.

The bombers remained in international airspace and did not enter Norwegian airspace. The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that the mission complied with international regulations governing the use of neutral airspace. Such Russian patrols in the Arctic and North Atlantic are conducted regularly.