Sweden has intercepted a Russian fighter plane that was in Swedish airspace.
This is reported by the Swedish Air Force. The incident happened yesterday afternoon east of the island of Gotland, but was only reported this morning. The Russian fighter was an SU-24, the Soviet Union’s most advanced attack aircraft in the 1970s and 1980s.
The Russian aircraft was initially warned with a verbal call from the Swedish Air Combat Command. When this was not responded to and the plane did not deviate from its route, a Swedish fighter plane JAS39 Gripen took off, which diverted the Russian aircraft from Swedish airspace.
Swedish military doctrine holds that whoever controls Gotland is able to broadly control air and naval movements in the Baltic Sea.
Sweden reopened its garrison on Gotland in 2018 after years of slashed military spending saw it close in 2004.
Russia’s unilateral annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014 had prompted Sweden to start beefing up its military again.
