Vladimir Putin has ordered two Tu-95MS nuclear bombers to the border as part of surprise drills believed to be a new show of strength to the West.
Footage shows the noisy "Bears" flying over Russia's Pacific flank and during the lengthy air patrol over the Bering and Okhotsk seas as the nuclear strike aircraft were refuelled by Il-78 tanker.
The drills were believed to be a sudden check on combat readiness amid tension with the West over the war in Ukraine.
