A Russian SU-24 bomber breached Swedish airspace near the strategically vital Baltic Sea island of Gotland, the Swedish military reported on Saturday. The incursion ended only after Sweden dispatched two JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets to intercept the Russian aircraft, it said.
Two Gripen jets were sent up to meet the Russian plane, an SU-24, after it failed to respond to a radio warning by Sweden’s military air traffic control, the Swedish armed forces said in a statement. “On Friday afternoon, a Russian SU-24 jet fighter violated Swedish airspace east of Gotland’s southern tip. The Swedish air combat command warned the Russian aircraft with a verbal call,” the Swedish armed forces said.
“When this was not heeded and the aircraft did not deviate from its route, it was dismissed from Swedish airspace by two JAS-39 Gripens,” it said. The violation was “brief”, the military said. “The Russian actions are not acceptable and demonstrate a lack of respect for our territorial integrity,” the head of Sweden’s air force, Jonas Wikman, said.
The incident on Friday occurred three months after the Scandinavian country became a full member of NATO, dropping two centuries of military non-alliance.
Friday’s incident took place as Sweden — NATO’s newest member — and several of its new allies take part in naval exercises in the Baltic Sea. The Swedish military said similar airspace violations by Russian aircraft last occurred in 2022 when two SU-27 and two SU-24 planes also made incursions near Gotland.
