The news about U.K. scrambling its fighters to intercepts two Russian Tu-95MS Bear bombers made headlines today, mostly because it was linked to the news about diplomatic tensions between Russia and the U.K. about extradition issues. The Russian Air Force denied that these flights are related to anything other than routine pilot training. According to the Air Force spokesman, Anatoli Drobyshevskiy, on July 17, 2007, the day the flight in question took place, Russia had at least three more pair of bombers in the air - two over the Sea of Japan, two over the Black Sea, and two were flying around Alaska.