A Russian Tu-95 Bear bomber in flight over the Arctic Ocean. A Russian military plane is suspected of violating Finland’s airspace for about two minutes this week, which would mark a first since the country joined NATO last year in response to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. (DVIDS)
STUTTGART, Germany — A Russian military plane is suspected of violating Finland’s airspace this week, which would mark a first since the Nordic country’s entry into NATO.
“We take this suspected territorial violation seriously and investigations have begun,” Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said in a statement Monday.
The Russian aircraft was in Finnish airspace for about two minutes early Monday, flying 1.5 miles into Finnish territory, Helsinki said.
The incident happened off the southerncoast near the city of Loviisa, Finland’s defense ministry said. The Finnish border guard service is handling the investigation.
At the time of Finland’s entry into the U.S.-led military alliance last year, Russia lashed out, threatening unspecified countermeasures.
While NATO fighters frequently carry out intercepts of Russian planes in international airspace, it is relatively rare for Russian pilots to cross into allied airspace.
If confirmed, the violation will be the first time since August 2022 that a Russian warplane crossed into Finnish territory. Finland was militarily neutral for decades but reversed course amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Neighboring Sweden wanted to join the alliance simultaneously with Finland, but its accession was delayed until earlier this year.
Both countries based the decision to seek NATO membership on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Source link : https://www.stripes.com/theaters/europe/2024-06-11/finland-russia-airspace-violation-14146373.html
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Publish date : 2024-06-11 07:00:00
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