The Russian military flights came after Russia and its quasi-ally, China, sent their nuclear-capable bombers for a joint patrol over the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea i

The flight, which lasted for more than eight hours, saw the Russian aircraft being escorted by planes from other countries

A pair of Russian Tu-95 bombers escorted by two Russian fighter aircraft carried out a eight-hour flight over the Sea of Okhotsk and Sea of Japan on Thursday, prompting Japan to scramble fighter aircraft to intercept the bombers as they flew within Japan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ).