Swedish and German aircraft intercept two Russian Su-30s over Baltic Sea
Russian Su-30SM aircraft (photo: Russian Defense Ministry)
On Saturday, August 3, Swedish and German jets intercepted two Russian Su-30 fighters over the Baltic Sea, reports Bild.
According to a German Air Force spokesperson, two German Eurofighter jets and two Swedish planes took to the skies in an intercept operation to establish contact with the Russian pilots as the Russian aircraft were headed for NATO member Latvia.
He speculated that the Su pilots were probably flying in connection with a drill involving warships.
The spokesperson also clarified that the Russian aircraft's transponders were turned off and the Russians did not respond to radio requests. In addition, the flight plan of the planes was not communicated in advance, as is usually the case in the Baltic Sea.
The German Air Force spokesperson added that the Su-30 pilots were unfriendly, uncooperative, and unresponsive to signals, but not aggressive.
Similar incidents
In March 2024, NATO fighter jets intercepted Russian military aircraft five times in one week. In those cases, the Russians also did not provide flight plans. It should be noted that this is not the first time that interceptions have occurred.
On July 26, a Russian ship illegally entered Finnish territorial waters in the area south of Hamina.
According to the Border Guard, the Russian research vessel Mikhail Kazansky violated the border. The illegal border crossing was detected by the border guard's surveillance systems and a coast guard patrol. The Russian vessel sailed about 1.2 nautical miles in Finnish territorial waters.
