Finland and Sweden send fighter jets to intercept Russian planes

Finnish and Swedish warplanes rushed for the first time on September 24 to intercept Russian supersonic military aircraft flying over the Gulf of Finland, marking a major step in Nordic defense cooperation amid heightened tensions with Moscow.

The mission also came a day before Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed European warnings about Moscow’s threat in the region and mocked Estonia’s new defense minister over the Baltic state’s preparations for a possible Russian attack.

Finnish F/A-18 Hornets and Swedish JAS 39 Gripens took off after Russian planes were detected in international airspace, according to the Swedish Armed Forces.

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Finnish and Swedish warplanes first rushed on September 24 to intercept Russian supersonic military aircraft flying over the Gulf of Finland. (AFP PHOTO MICHAL CIZEK (Photo credit should read MICHAL CIZEK/AFP via Getty Images)

The Russian training included a Tu-134 transport aircraft, high-altitude MiG-31 supersonic interceptors designed to detect and engage long-range threats; and the Su-30 multirole fighter jets, designed for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat.

“This is what close cooperation looks like in practice,” Major General Jonas Wikman, commander of the Swedish Air Force, said in a statement following the joint operation.

“Built over years of trust and strong personal relationships, we can now operate together seamlessly – as air forces, as nations and as Allies.”

Concern over Russian military activity along NATO’s eastern flank has increased following a series of airspace violations.

These include Russian drones entering Polish airspace, a Mi-8 helicopter crossing into Poland from Kaliningrad, drones crashing in Romania and Moldova, and armed Russian jets entering Estonian airspace before being intercepted by NATO aircraft on September 18.

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The Russian training included Su-30 multirole fighter jets designed for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat. (Sergey Mihailicenko/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images))

In Estonia, Defense Minister Martin Herem warned that Russia could be capable of using military force against Estonia within a year and said Tallinn needed to determine whether its defenses were sufficient for such a scenario.

Prime Minister Kristen Michal reportedly said the government was prepared to close border crossings at short notice if the threat assessment changed.

Speaking at the United Cultures International Forum in St. Petersburg on Friday, Putin pushed back against such warnings.

“Many people in Europe say they expect an attack from Russia and therefore say they need to prepare for a war with Russia,” Mr. Putin said.

“I want to emphasize once again that we are not preparing for military action against Europe. We have no such plan, no basis for this and, above all, no real motive to aggravate the situation with Europe.”

Putin then mocked Herem’s warnings: “As they joke in Russia: ‘The circus is gone, but the clowns remain.’ This is political clowning. … It is clear that these statements are completely absurd and absurd,” Putin said, according to EurAsia Daily.

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Putin spoke at the United Cultures International Forum in St. Petersburg and downplayed comments by Estonian Defense Minister Martin Herem, who warned that Russia may be capable of using military force against Estonia. (Alexandre KAZAKOV / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Estonia is located across the Gulf of Finland, with all three countries forming part of NATO’s increasingly integrated northern and eastern defenses amid concerns over Russian military activity.

Finland officially joined NATO as its 31st member in April 2023, doubling the alliance’s land border with Russia. Sweden became the 32nd member in March 2024. Estonia, which regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, has been a NATO member since 2004.

The Baltic Sea region has also remained on heightened alert following incidents involving gas pipelines, sabotage and hybrid threats since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Reuters reported.

NATO said in June it was strengthening protection for its eastern members in the cyber and space domains, while helping countries build resilience against what it described as hostile actions by Russia, including cyberattacks, sabotage and airspace violations.

NATO says its military activities along the eastern flank are entirely defensive and that it is “ready, willing and able to defend all Allies.”

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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during the launch of the NATO Secretary General’s Annual Report for 2025, at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Thursday 26 March 2026. (Virginia Mayo/AP Photo)

The alliance said an attack on any of its members would result in a “resounding response.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently highlighted Washington’s role in the alliance during a visit to Iowa, telling the Associated Press that Putin “knows that the United States and Europe are totally linked.”

“We have to make sure that we are prepared, that we are strong and he knows that,” Rutte said.

“And if he does something stupid, he knows our reaction will be harsh,” he warned.

European intelligence officials said on September 24 that Russia could test NATO defenses.

Denmark’s defense intelligence service assessed the risk of a limited Russian military attack on a NATO country in the coming months as “low but growing” and said Moscow should step up its hybrid campaign against NATO and the West.

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The service said in a statement that a full-scale Russian invasion of a NATO member remains highly unlikely but can no longer be ruled out.