Newsletters
Sweden said Saturday it scrambled two pairs of JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets on Friday to intercept two Russian combat aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea near Swedish airspace, in incidents that also prompted NATO fighters to take off.
Sweden's armed forces said the interceptions occurred in the southern and northern parts of the Baltic Sea and that Swedish airspace was not violated.
"The Russian actions are serious and constitute a recurring pattern of behaviour that threatens both our territorial integrity and security," Vice Admiral Ewa Skoog Haslum, chief of joint operations, said in the statement.
Sweden joined NATO in March 2024, and the Baltic region has become a focal point of heightened military activity since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Swedish military statement identified the Russian aircraft involved as Su-24 Fencer and Su-34 Fullback.
The photos show a VKS Su-24MR tactical reconnaissance aircraft.
"Swedish incident preparedness acted swiftly when the Russian flights were detected, and two pairs of JAS 39 Gripen took off to assert its own territory and meet and identify the Russian fighter jets. Swedish airspace was not violated in connection with the incidents," the Swedish military added.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
3 min read
