MOSCOW. Oct 27 (Interfax) - Norway has scrambled F-16 fighter aircraft to shadow two Russian Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bombers over the Barents and Norwegian seas, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
"At certain stages of the itinerary, the Russian strategic bombers were shadowed by Norwegian Air Force F-16 fighters," the statement said.
The Russian bombers were making a routine flight over the neutral waters of the Barents and Norwegian seas, it said.
"The flight's duration was around eight hours," the statement said.
Tu-160 aircraft can carry nuclear weapons.
During the flight, the Tu-160s were accompanied by MiG-31 long-range interceptor fighters from Russia's Northern Fleet, it said.
"Long-Range Aviation crews regularly fly over the neutral waters of the Arctic, North Atlantic, the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Pacific Ocean," the statement said.
"All Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft fly strictly in accordance with the international rules for the use of airspace," it said.