Sweden and Finland for the first time jointly scrambled fighter jets to intercept Russian aircraft over the Gulf of Finland

Finnish F/A-18 Hornets and Swedish JAS 39 Gripens identified a Russian air group that included a Tu-134 transport aircraft and MiG-31 and Su-30 fighter jets.

Finland and Sweden joined NATO after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Earlier, they agreed that their on-duty fighter jets could, if necessary, use each other’s air bases to monitor airspace and protect the territorial integrity of the states. A month ago, the countries also agreed to strengthen cooperation in air defense, focusing on security in the northern region and on NATO’s eastern flank amid worsening relations with Russia.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that “the Baltic Sea has never been as vulnerable as it is at the moment, but it has also never been as well protected as it is now”, and added: “In a tense security situation, we are stronger together”.

On the same day, the head of Denmark’s Military Intelligence and Security Service, Thomas Ahrenkiel, warned of a growing risk of a Russian attack on a neighboring NATO country. According to him, this could involve deploying a small number of troops under the pretext of protecting local Russian minorities or using long-range weapons against infrastructure used to support Ukraine. Danish intelligence also said that Russia will intensify hybrid attacks against targets in Europe, including sabotage with a high risk of casualties.

Sources

• Material: ru.themoscowtimes.com