Russian bombers test NATO's resolve over Baltic Sea
Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans reported that Russian Tu-22 bombers with hypersonic missiles flew over the Baltic Sea on Tuesday.
Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans reported on platform X on Wednesday that two Russian Tu-22 bombers equipped with hypersonic missiles flew over the Baltic Sea near Sweden's Gotland on Tuesday.
"Maintaining security requires unwavering readiness" - he emphasized in the post.
Russian bombers over the Baltic Sea. This is not the first such incident
On Tuesday, Swedish armed forces identified two Tu-22 bombers, escorted by two Su-27 fighter jets. In response, two Jas Gripen fighters were scrambled.
In the Gulf of Finland, Russian aircraft were intercepted by Finnish F-18 planes and then tracked by a Dutch F-35 fighter conducting a NATO Air Policing mission.
According to Swedish military expert Joergen Elfving, Russia may have wanted to demonstrate that the Baltic Sea is not an internal NATO sea and to test Sweden's and its allies' reactions. The Russian aircraft eventually turned back, not violating Swedish airspace.
