Russian reconnaissance plane violates Swedish airspace

The Scandinavian nation’s crew announced on Saturday that a Russian reconnaissance plane had briefly violated Swedish airspace on Friday, examining possible NATO membership following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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“The Russian AN-30 propeller violated Swedish airspace on Friday evening,” the Swedish Defense Department said in a statement, adding that its crew had followed the whole incident and photographed it.

“The plane flew east of Bournemouth (Danish island in the Baltic) and then towards Swedish territory,” the statement said.

The Swedish Defense Minister condemned the intrusion. “Violation of Swedish airspace is not entirely acceptable … This action is not professional and is highly inappropriate in light of the general security situation. Swedish sovereignty must always be respected, “Peter Hult‌quist wrote on public television SVT.

“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.

The attack on Ukraine by Russia took place in Sweden, and there was a change of opinion regarding the potential candidacy for the non-aligned, NATO.

According to a survey published by the Novas Institute on Saturday, 54% of Swedes are now in favor of NATO membership.

The ruling Social Democrats in the Scandinavian country are expected to reach a decision on a possible NATO candidacy by May 24.

In Finland, officials are also planning to join NATO, as the Russian government aircraft, IL-96-300, also violated Finnish airspace for three minutes in early April.