NATO jets intercept Russian bombers over Baltic in 'routine' response
The bombers, accompanied by two Russian fighter jets, were identified in a coordinated response involving aircraft from three nations, Sweden's public broadcaster SVT reported.
The NATO planes were deployed and identified two Russian Tupolev TU-22 bombers.
Finnish fighter jets were the first to make an approach, while Dutch F-35 jets took over from there.
As the flights neared the Swedish island of Gotland, Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighters from that country's air force took on the lead role, taking to the air around midday Tuesday.
Dennis Hedström, a senior officer with the Swedish Air Force, described the response and incident as "routine."
"We feel secure, conditions are good, and we know what we need to do," Hedström said, adding, "There was nothing unusual about this incident."
Even as the motives behind the Russian bombers' flight remain unclear, incidents of this kind over international Baltic Sea waters, and occasionally even in sovereign airspace, are not uncommon in the region.
Sweden and Finland both joined NATO in the aftermath of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Karl Kivil
Source: SVT
