Finland and Sweden scramble jets after spotting Russian aircraft

Finland and Sweden scrambled fighter jets on Thursday after detecting a group of Russian military aircraft over the Gulf of Finland.

According to the Finnish Air Force, Swedish and Finnish fighters approached the Russian aircraft in international airspace. The crews identified several aircraft, including a transport plane and several fighter jets.

The operation was carried out under a joint framework established by the two countries to monitor and protect their airspace.

The Gulf of Finland is a strategically important body of water bordering Finland, Estonia and Russia. Finland and Sweden have increased their defense cooperation and coordination of air surveillance in the Baltic Sea region in response to heightened regional security concerns.