Chinese and Russian bombers conducted a historic air patrol over the western Pacific. The Russian Ministry of Defense issued a statement about the flight.
"On July 23, 2019, the Aerospace Force of Russia and the Air Force of the People’s Liberation Army of China conducted the first joint air patrol by long-range aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region."
“The group of strategic bombers comprising two Russian Tu-95MS aircraft and two Chinese H-6K planes (a version of the Soviet Tu-16 bomber) "was air patrolling the planned route over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea."
The Defense Ministry stressed, "According to flight data, there were no violations of other countries’ airspace.”
TASS reported that the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff reported three Russian military aircraft and two Chinese Air Force aircraft entered South Korea's air defense identification zone on 23 July. South Korean fighter jets scrambled and fired warning shots at least one Russian aircraft for violating South Korean airspace.