MOSCOW, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- Russia resumed long-range military flights along the coasts of Alaska and Canada after a 17-year hiatus.
The two Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers participated in scheduled exercise drills that began Tuesday and were to end Friday, Itar-Tass reported.
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The bombers, monitored on their flights by NATO planes, returned to their home airfield Thursday via the North Pole, Col. Alexander Drobyshevsky told Itar-Tass.
Russia resumed long-range flights to remote areas on order from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has said the flights are a security precaution and not a military escalation.