Finland and Sweden conduct first joint fighter jet intercept of Russian aircraft over Gulf of Finland

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Finland and Sweden jointly scramble jets to intercept Russian aircraft over Gulf of Finland
ContinuationFinland and Sweden conduct first joint fighter jet intercept of Russian aircraft over Gulf of Finland
Finland and Sweden conducted their first joint fighter jet operation on Thursday to intercept and identify Russian military aircraft in international airspace over the Gulf of Finland, their air forces announced on Friday.
Finnish F/A-18 Hornets and Swedish JAS 39 Gripens identified a Russian formation including a Tu-134 transport plane and MiG-31 and Su-30 fighter jets, according to statements from both countries’ air forces . The mission was led by Finland under a new Quick Reaction Alert cooperation framework to monitor and protect territorial integrity, Finnish and Swedish officials said .
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on X that the operation demonstrated the strength of Nordic and NATO cooperation in the region. “The Baltic Sea has never been as vulnerable as it is today—but it has also never been as well protected as it is now,” he wrote .
The Russian embassies in Stockholm and Helsinki did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Both countries joined NATO in 2023 and 2024, respectively, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine .
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