Sweden would shoot down Russian fighter jets if its airspace was violated, NATO’s newest member has said.
“Sweden will defend its airspace,” Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson told the newspaper Aftonbladet.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry and NATO for comment.
Why It Matters
Sweden joined NATO in March 2024, marking the expansion of the alliance due to security concerns caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Jonson’s remarks reflect the growing concerns in the alliance about how to respond to the threat posed by Russia which is accused of breaching the airspace of NATO’s eastern flank members Poland, Romania with drones and Estonia with fighter jets.
What To Know
Jonson told the Swedish newspaper that no country had the right to violate his country’s airspace, which Stockholm would defend “by force if necessary.”
He said that under Swedish IKFN regulations, which relate to responses to violations of Swedish territory, his government had the right to use weapons if necessary, “with or without warning.”
Even before it joined NATO, the Swedish Air Force has a history of readiness in the face of regional incursions, particularly over the Baltic Sea.
Sweden possesses advanced Saab JAS 39 Gripen multirole fighter jets, Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles, and IRIS-T short-range missiles to counter any threat from Russia, according to military website Army Recognition.
Jonson’s comments follow accusations that Russia has tested the alliance’s resilience with incursions into its airspace. Estonia said that Russian MiG-31 fighters entered its territory on September 19 for 12 minutes. Moscow denied the incursion and said its flight to the Kaliningrad region was in international airspace.
Poland said Russian fighter jets also flew over the Polish Petrobaltic drilling platform in the Baltic Sea on September 19 and Moscow was condemned for drones fired during its bombardment of Ukraine landing in Poland earlier in the month.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said that Warsaw would destroy any hostile objects entering its airspace and its neighbor Lithuania said it would take similar measures with Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė saying on X that Turkey had “set an example” 10 years ago.
This refers to the 2015 incident in which a Turkish Air Force F-16 shot down a Russian Su-24M bomber which had violated its airspace for 17 seconds in the first time a NATO member had downed a Russian warplane since the Korean War.
Concerns are growing about Moscow’s actions in the wider region, amid its full-scale invasion. Yuriy Boyechko, CEO of Hope for Ukraine, which helps front-line communities in the war-torn country, told Newsweek that any NATO member should respond to an air incursion by Moscow in the same way as Turkey did a decade ago.
“There were no more Russian jets violating Turkish airspace after the 2015 incident,” he said.
What People Are Saying
Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson to newspaper Aftonbladet: “”No country has the right to violate Swedish airspace. Sweden has the right to defend its airspace, by force if necessary, and will defend its airspace.”
Dovilė Šakalienė, Lithuania’s defense minister posted on X on September 19: “NATO’s border in the northeast is being tested for a reason. We need to mean business. PS. Türkiye set an example 10 years ago. Some food for thought.”
What Happens Next
The comments by Sweden’s defense minister highlights the threat posed by Russia and will likely increase anticipation over how the alliance might response if Moscow is accused of another air incursion, either by drone or aircraft.
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