The approach was made by a signal reconnaissance plane and two fighter planes north of Visby on at least four occasions. In this so-called terminal area, all aircraft must notify arrival.
The three planes flew outside Sweden’s territorial border, which is why it does not count as a violation, the Armed Forces states and confirms to DN that Swedish flights followed the Russians.
The incident upsets Minister of Defense Peter Hultqvist (S):
– You come here without registering, without transponders switched on and without answering calls. This leads to a risk situation for all aviation in the area, regardless of whether it is military or civilian, he tells DN.
The Baltops naval exercise with the USS Kearsarge, which was recently in Stockholm, is currently underway in the Baltic Sea. The Russian planes flew at low altitude over the American amphibious ship, the Minister of Defense confirms.