FALCON POWERS – The Swedish Armed Forces said on Saturday that fighter jets intercepted a Russian military aircraft after it briefly violated Swedish airspace east of the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea on Friday.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom described the airspace violation as “unacceptable” and said officials from the Russian embassy in Stockholm would be summoned to his ministry over the incident. Billstrom told Reuters in emailed comments “We are in close contact with allies and partners regarding the events in our immediate vicinity.”
The Russian embassy in Sweden did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Swedish Armed Forces said in a statement that Gripen fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the Russian aircraft, which was identified as a Sukhoi-24, after it failed to respond to radio warnings from the Swedish military air traffic control.
Air Force Commander Jonas Wikingsson said “The Russian behavior is unacceptable and shows disrespect for the integrity of our territory. We have followed the entire sequence of events and were prepared to intervene.”
The Friday incident occurred while Sweden, the newest member of the NATO alliance, and several of its new allies were participating in naval exercises in the Baltic Sea.
The Swedish military said similar airspace violations by Russian aircraft last occurred in 2022 when two Sukhoi-27 and Sukhoi-24 planes flew near Gotland.
Separately, neighboring Finland said on Friday it suspected that four Russian military aircraft had violated its airspace on June 10.
