Finnish and Swedish fighter jets scrambled together for the first time on Sept. 24 to intercept Russian military aircraft flying over the Gulf of Finland, a milestone in Nordic defense cooperation as tensions with Moscow continue to build across the region.
According to the Swedish Armed Forces, Finnish F/A-18 Hornets and Swedish JAS 39 Gripens were sent up after Russian aircraft were detected in international airspace. The Russian formation included a Tu-134 transport plane, a MiG-31 supersonic interceptor built to detect and engage long-range threats, and Su-30 multirole fighters capable of both air-to-air and air-to-ground combat.
Maj. Gen. Jonas Wikman, commander of the Swedish Air Force, said the operation reflected years of work between the two countries.
“This is what close cooperation looks like in practice. Built over years on trust and strong personal relationships, we can now operate seamlessly together — as air forces, as nations and as Allies.”
The joint intercept came a day before Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed European warnings about Moscow’s intentions and mocked Estonia’s defense minister over the Baltic state’s preparations for a possible Russian attack.
A pattern of incursions
The scramble follows a string of airspace violations that have unsettled NATO’s eastern flank in recent weeks, including 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 NATO aircraft intercepted them on Sept. 18.
In Estonia, Defense Minister Martin Herem has warned that Russia could be capable of using military force against his country within a year, and said Tallinn needs to determine whether its current defenses would be sufficient. Prime Minister Kristen Michal has said the government is prepared to close border crossings on short notice if threat assessments change.
Putin dismisses the warnings
Speaking at the St. Petersburg International United Cultures Forum on Friday, Putin rejected the idea that Russia is preparing for conflict with Europe.
“Many people in Europe say they expect an attack from Russia and therefore claim they must prepare for war with Russia. 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.”
He then mocked Herem’s comments directly, according to EurAsia Daily.
“As we jokingly say in Russia: ‘The circus has left, but the clowns remain.’ It is political clowning. … Clearly, these statements are complete nonsense and absurdity.”
Regional stakes
Estonia sits across the Gulf of Finland from Finland, and the two countries along with Sweden now form part of NATO’s increasingly integrated northern and eastern defenses. Finland joined NATO in April 2023, roughly doubling the alliance’s land border with Russia. Sweden followed in March 2024. Estonia, which regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, has belonged to NATO since 2004.
The wider Baltic Sea region has remained on heightened alert over gas pipeline incidents, sabotage and hybrid threats since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, according to Reuters. NATO said in June it is strengthening protection of its eastern members in the cyber and space domains and helping allied countries build resilience against what it calls hostile Russian actions, including cyberattacks, sabotage and airspace violations. The alliance describes its own activities along the eastern flank as purely defensive and says it is “ready, willing and able to defend every Ally,” with any attack on a member to be met with a “resounding response.”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, during a visit to Iowa, told The Associated Press that Putin “knows that the United States and Europe are totally intertwined.”
“We have to make sure that we are prepared, we are strong, and he knows it. And if he does anything silly, he knows our reaction will be tough.”
European intelligence officials said on Sept. 24 that Russia could test NATO’s defenses. Denmark’s Defense Intelligence Service assessed the risk of a limited Russian military attack on a NATO country in the coming months as “low but growing,” and said Moscow is expected to intensify its hybrid campaign against NATO and the West. The service added that a full-scale Russian invasion of a NATO member remains highly unlikely but can no longer be ruled out.
