Finnish and Swedish fighter jets were scrambled on Sept. 24 to intercept supersonic Russian military aircraft flying over the Gulf of Finland, marking a significant step in Nordic defense cooperation as tensions with Moscow continue to rise.
The joint mission came a day before Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected European warnings about a possible threat from Moscow and ridiculed Estonia’s defense minister over the Baltic nation’s preparations for a potential Russian attack.
The Swedish Armed Forces said Finnish F/A-18 Hornets and Swedish JAS 39 Gripens were deployed after Russian aircraft were detected in international airspace.
The Russian group consisted of a Tu-134 transport aircraft, a high-altitude, supersonic MiG-31 interceptor built to detect and engage long-range threats, and Su-30 multirole fighter jets capable of air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.
“This is what close cooperation looks like in practice,” Maj. Gen. Jonas Wikman, commander of the Swedish Air Force, said in a statement after the operation.
“Built over years on trust and strong personal relationships, we can now operate seamlessly together — as air forces, as nations and as Allies.”
Concern over Russian military activity along NATO’s eastern flank has intensified after a series of reported airspace violations.
The incidents include Russian drones entering Polish airspace, a Mi-8 helicopter crossing from Kaliningrad into Poland, drones crashing in Romania and Moldova, and armed Russian jets entering Estonian airspace before NATO aircraft intercepted them on Sept. 18.
Estonian Defense Minister Martin Herem has warned that Russia could be capable of using military force against Estonia within a year. He also said Tallinn must assess whether its defenses are adequate for such a scenario.
Prime Minister Kristen Michal said the government is prepared to close border crossing points at short notice if threat assessments change, according to reports.
Putin addressed those warnings while speaking Friday at the St. Petersburg International United Cultures Forum.
“Many people in Europe say they expect an attack from Russia and therefore claim they must prepare for war with Russia,” Putin said.
“I want to emphasize once again: we are not preparing for military action against Europe. We have no such plans, no basis for them, and, most importantly, no real motive to escalate the situation with Europe.”
DON’T MISS: NTSB Releases Preliminary Report on Fresno Plane Crash That Killed 4 Eady Family Members
Putin also mocked Herem’s assessment. “As we jokingly say in Russia: ‘The circus has left, but the clowns remain.’ It is political clowning. … Clearly, these statements are complete nonsense and absurdity,” he said, according to EurAsia Daily.
Estonia lies across the Gulf of Finland from Finland, and the three countries now form part of NATO’s increasingly integrated northern and eastern defenses as concerns grow over Russian military activity.
Finland officially became NATO’s 31st member in April 2023, nearly doubling the alliance’s land border with Russia. Sweden joined as the 32nd member in March 2024. Estonia, which restored its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, has been a NATO member since 2004.
The Baltic Sea region has remained on heightened alert since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with concerns focused on incidents involving gas pipelines, sabotage and hybrid threats, Reuters has reported.
NATO said in June that it was strengthening protection for its eastern members in cyberspace and space while helping countries improve resilience against what it describes as hostile Russian actions, including cyberattacks, sabotage and airspace violations.
The alliance says its military operations along the eastern flank are strictly defensive and that it is “ready, willing and able to defend every Ally.”
NATO has said any attack on one member would trigger a “resounding response.”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently underscored Washington’s role in the alliance during a visit to Iowa, telling The Associated Press that Putin “knows that the United States and Europe are totally intertwined.”
“We have to make sure that we are prepared, we are strong, and he knows it,” Rutte said.
“And if he does anything silly, he knows our reaction will be tough,” he warned.
European intelligence officials said Sept. 24 that Russia could test NATO’s defenses.
Denmark’s Defense Intelligence Service assessed the risk of a limited Russian military attack against a NATO country in the coming months as “low but growing” and said Moscow is expected to intensify its hybrid campaign against NATO and the West.
The service said in a statement that a full-scale Russian invasion of a NATO member remains highly unlikely but can no longer be ruled out.
