MOSCOW. Aug 19 (Interfax) - Russia has revived the capabilities of its strategic and long-range aviation, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
"We have restored what we had. Yes, we gained such capacity today, yes, our strategic and long-range aviation started flying there where they have flown in the past," Shoigu said in an interview with the Rossiya 24 (VGTRK) TV channel in comments on a Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber's flight to Anadyr Airport near the United States maritime border.
Russia is not trying to provoke the U.S. and other countries by making such flights, he said.
"We began to carry out scheduled flights. As for provoking: firstly, they know that we are flying, this is natural and clear. We have all of this in our plans for the beginning of the next year, all of these flights," the minister said.
"Is this a normal and scheduled work, as you believe that, provoke a neighbor with strategic bombers?" Shoigu said.
The flights of this kind of aircraft are being carried out very actively, the Russian defense minister said.
"Over the past two weeks the Tu-160s have performed two flights, along with them, Tu-95 aircraft flew not only to America, but also over the Norwegian and Barents Seas, and certainly over the neutral waters," Shoigu said.