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Four Russian fighter jets violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Wednesday, as Moscow forces continued to bombard cities in Ukraine, Sweden report
The four aircraft – two SU-27 and two SU-24 fighters flew briefly over Swedish airspace east of the island of Gotland, according to a statement from the Swedish Armed Forces
The incident came days after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened military action against Sweden and Finland should either join NATO. The countries are currently conducting joint military exercises.
‘In light of the current situation we are very concerned about the incident,’ Swedish Air Force chief Carl-Johan Edstrom said. ‘This is unprofessional and irresponsible behavior from the Russian side.’
Swedish fighter jets were scrambled and took photographs of the Russian jets, the statement said.
‘This shows that our readiness is good. We were in place to secure the territorial integrity and Swedish borders,’ Edstrom said. ‘We have total control of the situation.’
‘The Russian violation of Swedish airspace is of course completely unacceptable,’ Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist told news agency TT.
‘It will lead to a firm diplomatic response from Sweden. Swedish sovereignty and territory must always be respected.’
Sweden on Sunday said it would send military aid, including 5,000 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, the first time since 1939 that Sweden has sent weapons to a country at war.
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said Tuesday her government wanted to boost the country’s military capabilities following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as the ‘general threat level’ had increased.
‘Sweden’s defensive capabilities need to be strengthened, the rearmament needs to be brought forward,’ Andersson said during a televised speech to the nation.
‘Sweden should have a strong defense,’ she said, announcing they would initiate talks for additional resources.
‘We are not under a direct threat of an armed attack against Sweden, but the general threat level has increased,’ she said.
After the end of the Cold War, Sweden slashed military spending. It was only after Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014 that parliament agreed on a turnaround.
Sweden reintroduced mandatory military service in 2017 and reopened its garrison on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea in January 2018.
In October, it bumped up defense spending by 40 percent with an extra 27 billion Swedish kronor ($2.8 billion, 2.5 billion euros) to be added to the defense budget from 2021 to 2025.
Sweden is not a NATO member, but cooperates closely with the alliance.
However, like in neighbouring Finland, the debate around NATO membership has been reignited in recent weeks.
According to a poll by public broadcaster SVT last Friday support for joining NATO is historically high in Sweden at 41 percent.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki recently said he feared a Russian attack in Poland, Finland or the Baltic states.
NATO has pledged to reinforce its military resources in eastern Europe, particularly in the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, as well as Poland and Romania.
