



Earlier Thursday, a senior Russian air force official Major-General Pavel Androsov, said the Russian exercise marked a resumption of long-distance military flights to areas patrolled by NATO and the United States. Moscow had suspended such exercises since the breakup of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.

Androsov, who is Russia's long-range military aviation chief, said the Russian bomber crews "exchanged smiles" with American fighter pilots who flew to intercept them.