According to the Russian military, the flight is planned, not directed against third countriesMoscow.
November 30th. INTERFAX - Russian and Chinese strategic aircraft conducted many hours of patrol over the Japanese and East China Seas, they will return to their bases, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
"An air group consisting of strategic missile carriers Tu-95MS of the Russian Aerospace Forces and strategic bombers Hun-6k of the PLA Air Force carried out air patrols over the waters of the Japanese and East China Seas. The duration of the flight of the Russian strategic missile carriers was about 8 hours," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
"At certain stages of the route, strategic missile carriers were accompanied by fighters of foreign states," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"During the execution of the tasks, the aircraft of both countries acted strictly in accordance with the provisions of international law. Violations of the airspace of foreign states have not been allowed," the report says.
"For the first time during the joint air patrol, Russian aircraft landed at an airfield in the People's Republic of China and Chinese aircraft landed at an airfield on the territory of the Russian Federation," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"The Su-30SM and Su-35S aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces provided fighter escort for the air group," the military department reported.
"Upon completion of the joint air patrol of all the planes involved in it will return to their home airfields," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"The event was held as part of the implementation of the provisions of the military cooperation plan for 2022 and is not directed against third countries," the report says.
Earlier, the Japanese and South Korean military reported that they were raising fighter jets to escort strategic aircraft of the Russian Federation and China over the Japanese and East China Seas.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces of South Korea, on Wednesday, Russian and Chinese military aircraft entered the identification zone of South Korea's air defense without prior notice, but did not violate the country's airspace.
This is the fifth joint patrol of strategic aircraft of the Russian Federation and China in the Asia-Pacific region.
The previous one took place on May 24 - then an air group of Tu-95MS strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces and Hun-6k of the PLA Air Force, accompanied by Russian Su-30SM fighters, carried out a 13-hour air patrol over the waters of the Japanese and East China Seas.
Prior to this, joint flights took place in November 2021, December 2020 and July 2019.
In July 2019, South Korea accused Russia of violating the country's airspace over the Sea of Japan. The Russian Defense Ministry then said that South Korean fighters were trying to prevent the passage of Russian and Chinese bombers.
Russia does not recognize the air defense identification zone established by South Korea, Sergei Kobylash, commander of the Long-range Aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces, said in July 2019. "Such zones are not provided for by international rules and, accordingly, are not recognized by the Russian Federation. This has been repeatedly brought to the South Korean side through various channels," Kobylash said at the time.
The Tu-95MS aircraft, like the Tu-160, are an aerial component of the Russian nuclear triad. They are designed to defeat the most important targets in the deep rear of the enemy with nuclear and conventional weapons.
