Swedish fighters intercept Russian jets near border

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Stockholm: Swedish fighters intercepted Russian jets near the border on Friday, scrambling two pairs of JAS 39 Gripen aircraft over the Baltic Sea to confront the military planes.

The dual quick-reaction alert operations targeted Russian Su-24 and Su-34 combat jets across both the northern and southern sectors of the sea. Allied NATO fighter jets also launched simultaneously to help secure the shared international airspace corridors. Official military reports confirmed that Swedish airspace itself was never directly violated during the encounters.

‘The Russian actions are serious and constitute a recurring pattern of behavior that threatens both our territorial integrity and security,’ warned Vice-Admiral Ewa Skoog Haslum, head of the Swedish Armed Forces’ Joint Operations Command.

In response to the incident, Sweden immediately reinforced its regional military presence and adjusted its standby readiness posture. The high-stakes airspace encounter underscores the rising geopolitical friction since Sweden joined the NATO alliance in March 2024.