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Russia’s Defense Ministry on Friday released a video showing two long-range Tu-22M3 bombers conducting what it described as a “planned flight” over neutral waters in the Baltic Sea.
“Crews of Su-35 and Su-30 fighter aircraft of the Aerospace Forces provided escort. The flight time was approximately five hours. At certain stages of the route, the long-range bomber was accompanied by foreign fighter aircraft,” the defense ministry said in a statement.
Moscow stressed that all flights of Russian Air Force aircraft are carried out in strict accordance with international rules on the use of airspace.
It said it conducts regular flights in neutral waters, including the Arctic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Baltic Sea and Black Sea.
The announcement comes a day after an investigation revealed that Russia may be planning further attacks on critical undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, and a day after Finnish intelligence warned that Russia could continue to pose a risk to European systems.
Since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Baltic Sea has been on high alert, with a series of attacks targeting power, communication lines, and oil pipelines.
The most recent incident occurred on New Year’s Eve after Finland seized a Russian ship en route to Israel on suspicion of jamming undersea communications lines.
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied accusations of such attacks in the Baltic Sea. A major European investigation has so far produced no “conclusive evidence” linking Moscow to the sabotage incident.
Finnish intelligence reports also indicated that there was no imminent military threat to Helsinki, claiming that Russia was highly tied to and heavily involved in the war against Ukraine and that there was no evidence of an imminent threat elsewhere.
But he also warned that the security outlook could change significantly in the coming months and years if Russia succeeds in rebuilding and expanding its military.
video editor • Amandine Hess
Additional sources of information •EBU