Finland, Sweden identify Russian aircraft over Gulf

Finland and Sweden scrambled fighter jets on Thursday to identify Russian aircraft flying over the Gulf of Finland, Finland's air force said Friday.

The Finnish air force said Quick Reaction Alert jets from both Nordic countries identified a Russian detachment in international airspace. It said the aircraft included a Tu-134 transport aircraft, MiG-31 fighter jets and Su-30 fighter jets.

The Finnish military said it was the first joint operational identification mission for the two air forces.

Nordic jets are regularly scrambled to intercept Russian aircraft over the Baltic region. Sweden and Finland joined NATO after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on X that the Baltic Sea had never been as vulnerable as now, but also had never been better protected.