South Korea and Japan Scrambled Fighters for Escorting Russia's Tu-95MS Bombers

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Two Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers made scheduled flights over the neutral waters of the Japan, Yellow and East China seas, South Korea and Japan scrambled fighter jets to escort them, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement Tuesday.

"Two strategic Tu-95MS bombers of the Aerospace Forces performed scheduled flights over the neutral waters of the Japan, Yellow and East China Seas. During the flight, long-range aircraft were accompanied by crews of Su-35S fighters and an A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft of the Aerospace Forces", the ministry said.

Air-to-air refuelling of Tupolev Tu-95MS

CC BY-SA 3.0 / Alex Beltyukov / Air-to-air refuelling of Tupolev Tu-95MS

It said that at certain stages of the route, the Tu-95MS crews were escorted by South Korea's F-15 and F-16 and Japan's F-2 fighters, adding that the pilots performed flights in strict accordance with the international airspace use rules, without violating the borders of other states.