Russian Fighter-Interceptors Begin Combat Duty In Country's Far North - Military

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th January, 2021) Russia has deployed its interceptor aircraft in the area of the far-north archipelago of Novaya Zemlya, located in the Arctic Ocean, the country's northern fleet announced Saturday.

"The crews of MiG-31BM fighter-interceptors of the separate mixed aviation regiment of the Northern Fleet took up combat duty to protect the State Border of the Russian Federation in the airspace of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago.

The solemn ritual of taking up combat duty was held at the Rogachevo airfield," the fleet said.

According to the naval forces, the presence of the fighter-interceptors will expand the area of controlled airspace over the Northern Sea Route and broaden the scope of application of the fleet's fighter aircraft in the Arctic region.

MiG-31BM planes are said to have already performed training tasks in the region last year.