The Pentagon has protested after US fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers west of Alaska, in the latest incident of its kind. F-22 Raptor fighters from NORAD intercepted and visually identified the long-range Tupolev Tu-95 “Bear” bombers overnight Tuesday, said the joint US-Canadian command, charged with aerospace warning and control for North America. The four-engine Cold War-era turboprop bombers, which can carry nuclear weapons, were escorted by two Russian Su-35 fighters, NORAD said in a statement Thursday, adding that the Russian planes stayed in international airspace and never penetrated the US or Canadian zones.