Russian Northern Fleet fighter jets practice intercepting mock enemy planes over Barents Sea

MOSCOW. Jan 17 (Interfax) - Fighter jets from the shipborne fighter aviation regiment of the Russian Northern Fleet's naval aviation flew an airborne alert mission over polar regions, the fleet's press service said.

"MiG-29KUB fighter jets flew a mission in the controlled airspace over the Barents Sea. During the flights, the MiG-29 KUB fighter jets practiced detecting and intercepting mock enemy planes and trained some air-to-air encounter elements," the press service said in a statement on Friday.

Northern Fleet pilots perform airborne alert missions over the Arctic on a routine basis, the statement said.

"Such missions involve intercepting and shadowing airborne targets of neighboring states, air reconnaissance and supporting forces acting in the Arctic area," it said.