The Russian air force told the RIA Novosti news service that the Russian bombers were on a routine patrol near Norway when they picked up an unsolicited escort from NATO Tornado and F-16 fighters,

The nationalities of the intercepting planes wasn't revealed.

Such interceptions aren't unusual, although the frequency has increased in recent years following a post-Cold War lull. RIA Novosti noted that Moscow last summer resumed long-range bomber flights over the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans.