MOSCOW. June 15 (Interfax) - Italian, Danish, and Swedish fighter jets were scrambled in the course of an eight-hour flight performed by two Russian Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bombers over the Baltic Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
"At certain stages of their route, the Russian strategic bombers were followed by F-35 fighter jets of the Italian Air Force, F-16 jets of the Danish Air Force, and Saab JAS 35 Gripen jets of the Swedish Air Force," the statement said.
The flight of the Tu-160s over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea was scheduled, it said.
The Russian strategic bombers were escorted by Sukhoi Su-35S planes of the Russian Aerospace Forces and Su-27 planes of the Baltic Fleet's marine aviation.
"The flight lasted for about eight hours. Long-range aviation crews regularly perform flights over the neutral waters of the Arctic Ocean, the North Atlantic, the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Pacific. All flights are performed by aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces in strict compliance with international airspace regulations," the statement said.