• Live Ukraine at war

A Russian reconnaissance plane

briefly violated Swedish airspace on Friday

, officials from the Scandinavian country reported on Saturday, which has been studying the possibility of joining NATO since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"A Russian AN-30 propeller plane violated Swedish airspace on Friday," the Swedish Defense Ministry said in a statement, adding that its teams

had recorded the entire incident and taken photographs.

"The aircraft was east of Bornholm (a Danish island in the Baltic) and then headed towards Swedish territory," the brief statement said. The Swedish Defense Minister denounced this incursion.

"It is completely unacceptable to violate Swedish airspace (...)

This action is unprofessional and, given the general security situation, highly inappropriate

. Swedish sovereignty must always be respected," Peter Hultqvist wrote on SVT public television. Of course, we will protest through diplomatic channels," he added.

Already in early March, four Russian warplanes briefly violated Swedish airspace east of the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. NATO bid. A

54% majority of Swedes would now be in favor

of NATO membership, according to a Novus Institute poll published on Saturday.

The ruling Social Democrats in the Scandinavian country hope to reach a decision on a possible NATO bid by May 24. In Finland, whose authorities also plan 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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