Four Russian warplanes violated Swedish airspace in the Baltic Sea
The Swedish Defense Minister condemned the incursion as “totally unacceptable”. “This will lead to a clear diplomatic position on the Swedish side,” Peter Hultqvist warned in a written statement.
Two Sukhoi Su-27 fighters and two Sukhoi Su-24 ground-attack fighters breached the airspace, and Swedish Gripen aircraft managed to document the facts, according to the Swedish military. “It shows that we are well prepared. We are in place to ensure the integrity of the Swedish territory and borders,” the staff said.
Analysts raised the incidents around the island of Gotland, while Sweden does not enjoy the protection of Article 5 of NATO mutual assistance, as many hypotheses of escalation between Russia and Europe. Joint exercises with Finnish combat aircraft were held on Wednesday at this site, in the presence of the Swedish and Finnish defense ministers.
This island of about 60,000 people, which is strategically located in the middle of the Baltic Sea and just over 300 km from Russia’s enclave of Kaliningrad, received Swedish reinforcements in January, when tensions first erupted from Ukraine.
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