NATO forces sent jets to escort two Russian long-range air force bombers patrolling neutral skies near Alaska yesterday, Russian news agencies quoted the defense ministry as saying.

Russia’s military has resumed its Cold War practice of flying regular patrols far beyond its borders, and in the last year has also sent turbo-prop Tu-95s over U.S. naval aircraft carriers and the Pacific island of Guam.

Accompanied by two Il-78 refueling tankers, the two Tu-95 “Bear” bombers flew for 15 hours over the Arctic and Pacific oceans, Interfax news agency quoted Russian Air Force spokesman Alexander Drobyshevsky as saying.

“In the course of the air patrol, long-range aviation aircraft were escorted by NATO jets in the region of Alaska,” said Drobyshevsky.

Originally designed to drop nuclear bombs, the Tu-95, Russia’s equivalent of the U.S. air force’s B-52, is a Cold War icon refitted for surveillance and maritime patrols.

Russia has raised military funding after years of neglect following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Analysts say the Kremlin is using its reviving military might to support a policy of projecting Russia’s power again on the world stage.(SD-Agencies)