WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Finnish and Swedish fighter jets jointly scrambled for the first time on Sept. 24 to intercept Russian military aircraft over the Gulf of Finland.
- The Russian formation included a Tu-134 transport aircraft, MiG-31 interceptors and Su-30 multirole fighters operating in international airspace.
- Putin dismissed European warnings and mocked Estonian Defense Minister Martin Herem’s concerns about a possible Russian attack.
- Denmark’s Defense Intelligence Service assessed the risk of a limited Russian attack against NATO as low but growing.
Finnish and Swedish fighter jets scrambled together for the first time on Sept. 24, intercepting supersonic Russian military aircraft over the Gulf of Finland. The operation marked a major step in Nordic defense cooperation as concern over Moscow’s activity along NATO’s eastern flank continued to rise.
Finnish F/A-18 Hornets and Swedish JAS 39 Gripens responded after Russian aircraft were detected in international airspace, according to the Swedish Armed Forces. The Russian formation included a Tu-134 transport aircraft, MiG-31 interceptors and Su-30 multirole fighter jets.
The MiG-31 is designed to detect and engage long range threats at high altitude and supersonic speed. The Su-30 is designed for combat against targets in the air and on the ground.
“This is what close cooperation looks like in practice,” Maj. Gen. Jonas Wikman, commander of the Swedish Air Force, said after the operation. He credited years of cooperation between the two Nordic countries and their air forces.
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“Built over years on trust and strong personal relationships, we can now operate seamlessly together — as air forces, as nations and as Allies.”
The scramble unfolded amid growing concern about Russian military activity along NATO’s eastern flank. Recent incidents have included Russian drones entering Polish airspace, a Mi-8 helicopter crossing from Kaliningrad into Poland, and drones crashing in Romania and Moldova.
Armed Russian jets also entered Estonian airspace before NATO aircraft intercepted them on Sept. 18. Estonia sits across the Gulf of Finland from Finland, placing the three countries within NATO’s increasingly integrated northern and eastern defenses.
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Estonian Defense Minister Martin Herem warned that Russia could be capable of using military force against Estonia within a year. He argued that Tallinn must determine whether its defenses would be sufficient under such a scenario.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said the government was prepared to close border crossing points on short notice if threat assessments changed. Putin dismissed the warnings while speaking at the St. Petersburg International United Cultures Forum on Friday.
“Many people in Europe say they expect an attack from Russia and therefore claim they must prepare for war with Russia,” Putin said. “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.”
Putin then mocked Herem and his warning about Russia’s ability to use military force against Estonia. “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,” Putin said, according to EurAsia Daily.
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Finland formally became NATO’s 31st member in April 2023, roughly doubling the alliance’s land border with Russia. Sweden became its 32nd member in March 2024, while Estonia has belonged to NATO since 2004 after regaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
The Baltic Sea region has remained on heightened alert following incidents involving gas pipelines, sabotage and hybrid threats since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Reuters reported. NATO said in June that it was strengthening protection for eastern members in the cyber and space domains.
The alliance also has been helping members build resilience against actions it attributes to Russia, including cyberattacks, sabotage and airspace violations. NATO says its military activities along the eastern flank are entirely defensive and that it is “ready, willing and able to defend every Ally.”
NATO has said an attack against any member would receive a “resounding response.” During a recent visit to Iowa, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told The Associated Press that Putin “knows that the United States and Europe are totally intertwined.”
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“We have to make sure that we are prepared, we are strong, and he knows it,” Rutte said. “And if he does anything silly, he knows our reaction will be tough,” he warned.
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 against a NATO country in the coming months as “low but growing.”
The service also said Moscow was expected to intensify its hybrid campaign against NATO and the West. It assessed that a full scale Russian invasion of a NATO member remained highly unlikely but could no longer be ruled out.
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