Details: Hit only 20 miles from Finland • Kristersson: “Following the development very closely”
The Ukrainian military intelligence service GUR states that three Russian airfields have been attacked.
One of the attacks reportedly took place just 20 miles from the Finnish border.
– We have been in contact with Sweden’s Prime Minister about the attack and how we will react, says Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, according to Illta Sanomat.
The attacks must have taken place with the help of drones during Saturday morning and were aimed at the three Russian regions of Saratov, Murmansk, and Ryazan, a source within GUR states for Kyiv Independent. An oil refinery in Ryazan is also said to have been damaged in a drone attack.
At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Defense states that 23 drones were shot down in five other regions.
Details: Russian bomber damaged
In the attack on the Olenya airbase in the Murmansk region, a strategic bomber of the model Tu-22M3 is said to have been damaged. The plane can be equipped with cruise robots that have been used in several attacks against Ukraine during the war.
The source within GUR does not state whether any other aircraft were damaged in the remaining attacks. According to Kyiv Post a resident near the airfield in Ryazan states on social media that the windows in the home should have shaken in connection with the attack.
Stubb in contact with Kristersson
The air base in Olenya is only 20 miles from Finland’s north-eastern border – and only 37 miles from Sweden.
Alexander Stubb, the President of Finland, commented on the information about the attack in front of the Finnish media in Paris.
– The basic message is that we have no reason to worry in Finland. We have the situation under control and can react. We have been in contact with Sweden’s Prime Minister about the attack and how we will react, says Stubb according to the report Illta Sanomat.
Kristersson: We share Finland’s message
At the same time, Stubb believes that Finland must get used to having a circle at its borders.
– The flight to Kiev from Helsinki is very short. We also have to get used to the fact that Ukraine must use all means to win this war, says Stubb.
In a comment to TV4 Nyheterna, Prime Minister Kristersson’s (M) deputy press chief, Susan Vo Bergqvist, writes that they are in close contact with their neighboring countries, not least Finland, regarding the security situation.
“The prime minister shares the Finnish president’s basic message that there is no cause for concern. We have war in our immediate area and we follow developments very closely,” writes Vo Bergqvist.