Russia's air force has conducted drills which involved its nuclear-capable strategic bombers, the military said Thursday.

The Defense Ministry said that Tu-160 and Tu-95 strategic bombers took off from their base in the Saratov region on the Volga River and flew more than 4,000 kilometers (about 2,500 miles) to launch cruise missiles at practice targets at a firing range in the Arctic.

It said the missiles hit their designated targets.

The drills also involved Tu-95 bombers based in Russia's Far East.

The Russian military has increased the number and scope of its drills amid tensions with the West.