Two Russian warplanes allegedly violated Finnish airspace today. “Two MiG-31 fighter jets are suspected of having illegally entered Finnish territory over the Gulf of Finland off Porvoo,” the Ministry of Defense in Helsinki said.
The alleged violation of Finnish airspace lasted two minutes as the fighter jets flew about a kilometer to the west, a ministry spokesman told the AFP news agency.
According to the spokesperson, the incident took place at 9:40 am local time. The Finnish Air Force then sent an “operational flight mission” to identify the aircraft. Finnish border guards also launched a “preliminary investigation” into the incident.
Finland shares a 1,300 km border with Russia. In May, the country – along with Sweden – broke with its traditional military neutrality under the impression of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and applied for NATO membership. Finnish intelligence agency Supo warned in May that Russia could make “various attempts” to influence Finland’s NATO application process.