MOSCOW - Foreign fighter jets escorted Russian bombers during a planned flight over the Baltic Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

Russia's Tu-22M3 long-range bombers, along with fighter escort, carried out a planned flight that lasted over four hours over "the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea," the ministry said in a statement.

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"At certain stages of the route, long-range bombers were accompanied by fighters of foreign countries," it added.

The ministry said its flights are carried out in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace.