(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — On June 10, several Russian bombers and fighter jets penetrated up to 2.5 kilometers into Finnish airspace before turning back, in an incident that underscores rising tensions between NATO member states, particularly in the Baltic region, and Russia, which shares a border with them.
The episode, lasting nearly two minutes, occurred close to the Finnish town of Loviisa, located just 100 kilometers from the capital, Helsinki.
On the same day, Russian bombers and fighters were also active in other parts of Europe, with reports indicating flights of strategic bombers Tu-95MS and Tu-95M3.
These strategic bomber flights were accompanied by Russian fighter jets, including Su-30SM, Su-27, and Su-33, flying over the Barents Sea, Norwegian Sea, and Baltic Sea.
This provocative action by Russian bombers and fighters led to the scrambling of Germany-based Eurofighter Typhoon jets to intercept two Su-27 fighters and an IL-20 “Coot” electronic intelligence aircraft.
The Tupolev Tu-95 is a quad-engine strategic bomber and missile-carrying aircraft designed and developed by the Tupolev Group during the Soviet Union regime.
More than 500 examples of the Tu-95 were produced between 1952 and 1993, many of which are still in service.
The Russian Aerospace Forces is expected to fly its Tu-95s until the 2040s.
Over the years, the Tupolev Tu-95 has been upgraded similarly to the way the United States has done with its B-52s.
Besides delivering nuclear bombs, the Tu-95 has been adapted to deploy cruise missiles and perform maritime patrols.
The Russian military aircraft reportedly flew close to NATO member states’ airspace in the Baltic without activating their transponders or submitting their flight plans in advance.
The Finnish Ministry of Defense reported that the Russian aircraft had intruded 2.5 km into their airspace before turning back.
Four days after the incident, the ministry revealed that the situation was more serious than initially thought. “As investigations continue, it is clear that at least three other (Russian) aircraft were involved in this incursion.
The incident was carried out by a group of four Russian aircraft consisting of bombers and fighters,” Finnish authorities stated.
In total, seven Russian combat aircraft were involved in the incident, which Finnish authorities consider extremely serious.
Relations between Russia and Finland, historically strained since the times of the Soviet Union, have deteriorated further since the Baltic state joined NATO.
For over 600 years, Finland was part of Sweden until it was ceded to the Russian Empire in 1809.
Under Russian rule, Finland was granted special autonomy until the collapse of the Russian Empire and the Communist takeover in 1917, when Finland achieved independence.
During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied several parts of Finland, including its second-largest city. — DSA