Sweden armed forces call Russia violation over Baltic Sea ‘unacceptable’ following largest-ever NATO naval exercise News
Michael Rumbach, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Sweden armed forces call Russia violation over Baltic Sea ‘unacceptable’ following largest-ever NATO naval exercise

The Swedish Armed Forces on Saturday issued a statement after a Russian military aircraft violated their airspace the previous day.  Commander of the Swedish Air Force, Jonas Wikman, called Russia’s act ‘unacceptable’ and said that the aggravated act showed a lack of respect for Sweden’s territorial integrity.

The Russian SU-24 fighter plane is accused of having violated Swedish airspace just east of the island of Gotland, located in the Baltic Sea, approximately 150 miles south of the capital Stockholm. A Swedish JAS-39 Gripen jet was then sent to intercept the Russian plane after a verbal call from the Swedish air combat command to retreat was ignored. According to the military, the incident was over quickly. The military said that the last violations of its airspace by Russia were made in 2022, when two Russian SU-27s and two Russian SU-24s violated the Nordic country’s airspace, also over Gotland.

Sweden became NATO’s newest member in March of this year, the 32nd country to join the alliance. It initially applied for membership, alongside Finland, in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, ending over two centuries of military non-alignment and neutrality. Sweden, alongside other NATO allies, was conducting naval exercises in the Baltic Sea last week as part of the annual Baltic Operations exercise (BALTOPS). This was the first time Sweden had taken part in the operation, with Vice Admiral, Thomas Ishee, Commander of STRIKEFORNATO and U.S. 6th Fleet saying:

This year we will exercise new capabilities, and celebrate Sweden’s place as the 32nd nation to join NATO Allies as we provide a clear deterrence message and deliver peace and security for one billion people on both sides of the Atlantic.

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