Sweden Scrambles Fighter Jets to Intercept Russian Aircraft

Swedish authorities said they scrambled two JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets to intercept two Russian fighter jets flying over the Baltic Sea, near their airspace. Both incidents occurred on Friday (12/6) in the southern and northern parts of the Baltic Sea. Several NATO fighter jets also took off “to maintain security in the shared airspace,” the Swedish military said in a statement, as reported by AFP news agency on Saturday (13/6/2026). Swedish airspace was not violated in connection with the incidents, the military added. “Russia’s actions are serious and represent a repeated pattern of behaviour that threatens our territorial integrity and security,” said Vice Admiral Ewa Skoog Haslum, head of joint operations for the Swedish armed forces, in the statement. Sweden joined NATO in March 2024. Tensions in the Baltic Sea have risen sharply since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.