Ukraine conflict: Sweden reports intrusion of Russian fighter jets - "Unprofessional and irresponsible"
Created: 03/03/2022, 14:24
By: Patrick Mayer
A Russian Sukhoi Su-33 fighter jet.
(Iconic image) © IMAGO / ITAR-TASS
Russian fighter jets are apparently violating Swedish airspace.
Stockholm sharply criticizes Moscow.
There are also Bundeswehr soldiers in the area.
Munich/Stockholm – How close is the Ukraine war* to Western Europe?
There has now apparently been a military incident involving Russian fighter jets over the Baltic Sea.
Ukraine conflict: Russian fighter jets invade Swedish airspace
Specifically: According to Swedish information, four Russian fighter jets violated the airspace over Sweden.
The brief incident occurred this Wednesday (March 2) east of the Baltic Sea island of Gotland over the sea, the Swedish armed forces said in the evening.
Fighter jets from the Swedish Air Force documented the incident in which two Russian SU-27 and two SU-24 jets were involved.
In view of the current situation, the incident is taken very seriously.
"This is unprofessional and irresponsible action on the part of the Russian side," said Air Force Chief Carl-Johan Edstrom.
In the video: Compact - The news about the Ukraine war and the invasion of Russia
Sweden and neighboring Finland are both non-NATO members, but close partners of the military alliance.
Against the background of the significantly deteriorated security situation in the course of the Ukraine war, the two countries held a joint military exercise in the Baltic Sea on Wednesday.
According to Swedish information, fighter jets and warships were involved.
Baltic Sea: German Navy is involved in strengthening NATO's eastern flank
The island of Gotland lies in the sea opposite the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, sandwiched between northern Poland and Lithuania in the Baltic States.
At the beginning of the week, the German NATO representation announced that it would send “Tornadoes” to the Baltic Sea region for reconnaissance purposes.
It was not until February 28th that the minesweepers "Sulzbach-Rosenberg" and "Homburg", the minesweeper "Siegburg" and the tender "Elbe" of the German Navy left Kiel in the Baltic Sea in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict* in order to Strengthen NATO's north-eastern flank.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin recently threatened both Sweden and Finland openly because both Scandinavian countries had increasingly turned to NATO.
Finland shares a 1340 km border with Russia.
(pm/dpa)
*
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