Tension is rising in the Baltic Sea.
A Russian reconnaissance plane briefly violated Swedish airspace on Friday, the staff of this Scandinavian country announced on Saturday, which is considering possible NATO membership following the invasion of Ukraine by the Russia.
“A Russian AN-30 propeller plane violated Swedish airspace on Friday evening,” the Swedish Defense Department wrote in a statement, adding that its teams had followed the entire incident and had photographed it.
"The plane was east of Bornholm (a Danish island in the Baltic) and then headed towards Swedish territory," the brief statement said.
The Swedish Minister of Defense denounced this incursion.
“It is completely unacceptable to violate Swedish airspace (…) This action is unprofessional and, given the general security situation, it is very inappropriate.
Swedish sovereignty must always be respected,” wrote Peter Hultqvist on public television SVT.
“We will of course protest through diplomatic channels,” he added.
Possible candidacy for NATO
Already at the beginning of March, four Russian warplanes briefly violated Swedish airspace east of the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea.
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has caused in Sweden, non-aligned, a swing of opinion vis-à-vis a possible candidacy for NATO.
A majority of 54% of Swedes would now be in favor of NATO membership, according to a survey by the Novus Institute published on Saturday.
The Social Democrats in power in the Scandinavian country expect to reach a decision on a possible candidacy for NATO by May 24.
In Finland, whose authorities are also planning to join NATO, a Russian government plane, an IL-96-300, also violated Finnish airspace for three minutes in early April.
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