Two Russian Strategic Bombers Conduct Training Flight Over East Sea

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Eun-byeol] Two Russian strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons conducted routine training flights over the East Sea and other areas, and a squadron of Japanese fighter jets conducted alert flights in response, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on the 24th (local time).

According to TASS news agency, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that "two Tupolev (Tu)-95MS aircraft belonging to the Russian Aerospace Forces conducted routine flights over international waters in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) and the northwest Pacific." Russia often refers to the East Sea as the Sea of Japan.

The Russian Ministry of Defense added, "The total flight time exceeded 9 hours, and Japanese Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets conducted alert flights during some segments." It did not mention whether South Korean Air Force fighters took off.

The Russian Ministry of Defense further stated, "Long-range flight units regularly carry out flight missions over international waters in the Arctic, North Atlantic, Black Sea, Baltic Sea, and Pacific," emphasizing that "all flights by military aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces strictly comply with international regulations concerning airspace use."

It is not known whether the Russian strategic bombers entered the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) during this training flight. Russian strategic bombers frequently conduct training flights over the East Sea and have caused controversy by entering the KADIZ.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.