Sweden and Finland scramble jets to intercept Russian warplanes in their FIRST ever joint NATO operation over Gulf of Finland

From the Newshound archive · first published 25 September 2026 · last updated 26 September 2026.

Sweden and Finland launched their first-ever joint NATO interception mission on Thursday, scrambling fighter jets to track down a group of Russian military aircraft in international airspace over the Gulf of Finland. The operation, conducted under a new Quick Reaction Alert cooperation agreement, identified a Russian Tu-134 transport plane alongside several MiG-31 and Su-30 fighter jets. Denmark's defence intelligence service separately warned this week that Russia is likely to intensify hybrid warfare against the West in coming months, with a 'low but growing risk' of limited military strikes against NATO border states. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the Baltic Sea has 'never been better protected' despite being more vulnerable than ever.

Denmark's intelligence chief Thomas Ahrenkiel warned Putin could deploy troops into a NATO border area 'to divide NATO', not to occupy it.

Germany recently blamed Russia for an attempted drone strike at Leipzig/Halle Airport, prompting EU calls for fresh sanctions against Moscow.

The Kremlin branded PM Andy Burnham's UN speech accusing Russia of disinformation 'utterly short-sighted' and said it deepened Russophobia.