Finnish and Swedish fighter jets scrambled for the first time on Sept. 24 to intercept supersonic Russian military aircraft flying over the Gulf of Finland, marking a major milestone in Nordic defense cooperation amid heightened tensions with Moscow.
The mission also came one day before Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed European warnings about the threat from Moscow in the region and mocked Estonia’s new defense minister over the Baltic state’s preparations for a potential Russian attack.
Finnish F/A-18 Hornets and Swedish JAS 39 Gripens were scrambled after Russian aircraft were detected in the international airspace, according to the Swedish Armed Forces.
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The Russian formation included a Tu-134 transport plane, a high-altitude, supersonic MiG-31 interceptors designed to detect and engage long-range threats; and Su-30 multirole fighter jets which are designed for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat.
“This is what close cooperation looks like in practice,” Maj. Gen. Jonas Wikman, commander of the Swedish Air Force, said in a statement following the joint operation.
“Built over years on trust and strong personal relationships, we can now operate seamlessly together â as air forces, as nations and as Allies.”
Concern over Russian military activity along NATOs eastern flank has grown following a string of airspace violations.
These 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 being intercepted by NATO aircraft on Sept. 18.
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In Estonia, Defense Minister Martin Herem warned that Russia could be capable of using military force against Estonia within a year and argued that Tallinn must determine whether its defenses are sufficient for such a scenario.
Prime Minister Kristen Michal stated that the government is ready to shut down border crossing points on short notice if threat assessments change, according to reports.
Speaking at the St. Petersburg International United Cultures Forum on Friday, Putin pushed back against such warnings.
“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.”
Putin then mocked Herem’s warnings: “As
