MOSCOW, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Russian air force crews worked Wednesday to prepare long-range bomber patrols set to resume Thursday after 15 years.
The Tu-95MS Bear-H strategic bombers will fly from seven military airports and patrol commercial shipping and economic production zones in remote regions as they did in the Soviet era, the Novosti news agency reported.
The flights were ordered on Aug. 17 by President Vladimir Putin, who said while Russia abandoned the practice, "unfortunately not everyone followed our example," widely seen as a reference to the United States.
Moscow and Washington are at odds over U.S. plans to build missile defense sites in Eastern Europe. Tension is also mounting between the two countries along with Canada, Finland and Denmark over Arctic sovereignty with regard to shipping routes and energy exploration.
