A total of four Russian Air Force fighter jets violated Sweden’s airspace on March 2, the Swedish defense ministry confirmed.
According to the defense ministry, two Russian Su-27s and two Su-24s violated Swedish airspace east of Gotland, and were intercepted by Swedish Jas 39 Gripen aircraft.
The violation was “short-lived”, the defense ministry said, adding that its fighters demonstrated good preparedness for such missions.
“This shows that our preparedness is good. We were on site to ensure territorial integrity and Sweden’s borders. We have full control of the situation,” Swedish Air Force Chief Carl-Johan Edström commented.
“In light of the current situation, we take the incident very seriously. It is an unprofessional and irresponsible action on the part of Russia,” he added.
The violation took place on the seventh day of Russian invasion in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian defense ministry said its air defenses shot down a Sukhoi Su-34 in Volnovakha, near Mariupol, and an Su-30 in Irpin, near the Ukrainian capital, becoming the latest on a long list of Russian military losses during the operation.
According to reports, Russia is believed to have lost some 30 aircraft, an equal number of helicopters, over 200 tanks and dozens of artillery systems. The Russian defense ministry said 498 Russian soldiers have already been killed and 1,597 wounded, but observers have pointed out that the actual number of those killed and wounded will almost certainly be considerably higher.
Russian Air Force operations in Ukraine are bound to be further complicated by the reported German donation of 2,700 Strela MANPADs to Ukraine. The Soviet-era missiles would be supplied from the depots obtained from former East Germany.
