The Russian military has deployed four nuclear-capable bombers over three major European seas bordering NATO Member States that follow Ukraine's unexpected invasion earlier this month.
According to RussiaOn behalf of the Ministry of Defense, two Tu-95MS strategic bombers flew over the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea, while two Tu-22M3 long-range bombers were sent over the Baltic Sea – both with nuclear capabilities.
Moscow stressed that these flights were conducted strictly according to the rules. international airspace regulations.
The Tu-95MS is an integral part of Russiastrategic forces, while the Tu-22M3 belongs to its non-strategic forces. Most of RussiaThe non-strategic forces use shorter-range, dual-function weapon systems that can also carry out conventional attacks.
The Barents Sea, often referred to as Russia's “Arctic backyard”, is an important route for the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy towards the North Atlantic. To the southwest lies the Norwegian Sea, located between Iceland in the west and the Scandinavian Peninsula in the east.
The Baltic Sea, nowadays often called “NATO The lake, which is almost completely surrounded by water following the accession of Finland and Sweden to the alliance, NATO members, with the exception of Russia's Kaliningrad enclave. Kaliningrad in the Gulf of Finland offers a strategic route to St. Petersburg.
Russia reported that the Tu-95MS training flight lasted more than four hours, with MiG-31 fighter jets as escort. The Tu-22M3's five-hour mission over the Baltic Sea was supported by Su-30SM and Su-27 fighter jets.
RussiaThe Defense Department reported encounters with “foreign fighter jets” during these missions, but gave no details.
German Air Force confirmed sightings Russian bombers over the Baltic Sea on Wednesday via a message on X. The Luftwaffe deployed Eurofighter Typhoons from Latvia to intercept the “armed” Russian planes before Swedish fighter jets took over NATO tasks of the air police.
Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, pointed out on X that one of the Tu-22M3 bombers carried a Kh-22 or Kh-32 cruise missile. This dual-capability precision missile has been used before against Ukraine.
Routine flights over various waters in the Northern Hemisphere, including the Arctic Ocean, the North Pacific Ocean and the Black Sea, are carried out by Russia's long-range aircraft units.
NATO carries out air police missions in five key regions of Europe: the Baltic Sea, Iceland, Romania, Bulgaria, the Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) and the Western Balkans.
These missions aim to: detect, intercept, identify and escort any unidentified aircraft approaching or entering NATO airspace.
Last week, the alliance announced that the United Kingdom has sent F-35B stealth fighters to Iceland, the first time the fifth-generation fighters have taken part in such missions.