The crews of Il-38 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) planes flew over the Barents Sea and searched for "enemy" submarines during a snap combat-readiness check of the Russian Northern Fleet's naval aviation and air-defense units, the Northern Fleet press service said in a statement.

"The crews flew under difficult weather conditions requiring pilots to be particularly attentive and professional. They dropped sonar buoys at high-seas training facilities and also launched depth charges against an ‘enemy' submarine at the Lumbovka training center," the press service reports.

About ten planes were involved in the exercise.

"Sukhoi Su-33 and MiG-31 fighter crews from a carrier-borne fighter unit and a combined Northern Fleet aviation unit, which regularly flies air-defense missions, successfully intercepted an aerial target approaching the Russian border," the press service statement noted.