Sweden: Russian fighter jet conducted ‘unacceptable’ maneuvers near Swedish aircraft
The Swedish Armed Forces reported that a Russian Su-27 fighter flew approximately 20 meters away from a Swedish plane. According to statement, the incident occurred at the beginning of the week. A specific day is not specified.
“During the flight over the Baltic Sea in the international airspace at the beginning of the week, the Russian military Su-27 was following a Swedish reconnaissance aircraft,” the statement reads. “The Russian plane flew less than 20 meters away.” The situation has been reported to the government.
“This is unacceptable behavior,” Sveriges Radio quotes Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist as saying. Hultqvist added that his Ministry considers the actions of the Russian fighter to be “beyond acceptable”.
Hultqvist stressed that this was not the first case like this. Similar incidents, he said, were recorded in the fall of 2017 and the spring of 2018. The Minister noted that this was not a planned joint flight.
“[Such incidents] can lead to undesirable events, such as a collision. This is extremely risky, ” he added.
In late January, the Swedish armed forces reported that three Russian military aircraft had violated the country’s airspace. According to the military, the Russian Il-20 flew over the Baltic Sea, accompanied by two Su-27 Flanker type fighters, and the aircraft temporarily entered the airspace south of Karlshamn in Blekinge province without permission.