The Finnish Air Force dispatched “an operational flight mission” and identified the aircraft, and the Border Guard launched an investigation into the violation.
Two Russian MiG-31 fighter jets are suspected of violating Finnish airspace near the coastal town of Porvoo on the Gulf of Finland.
The alleged breach occurred at 06:40 GMT on Thursday and the jets were flying west, Defense Ministry communications chief Kristian Vakkuri said, adding the plane was in Finnish airspace for two minutes.
“The depth of the alleged violation of Finnish airspace was one kilometer,” Vakkuri said, but declined to elaborate on whether the planes were being escorted.
The Finnish Air Force dispatched “an operational flight mission” and identified the MiG-31 jets, and the Border Guard launched an investigation into the violation.
The incident occurred as Finland was seeking NATO membership following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Finland, which shares a 1,300 km (800 miles) eastern border with Russia, reversed decades of military non-alignment by seeking membership of the North Atlantic Alliance in May after being rocked by Moscow’s attack on Ukraine.
Finland’s security and intelligence service warned in May that “Russia has the will” to influence Finland’s NATO bid process and “various attempts to do so are to be expected”.
All 30 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization must agree if Finland and Sweden, officially non-aligned but long-standing associate partners of the alliance, are admitted. Ratification could take up to a year.
The accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO would mark one of the biggest changes in European security in decades and further increase Russia’s strategic isolation.
According to a NATO list, seven member countries still have to formally agree to the new double entry: the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Turkey.
Turkey has raised a challenge, demanding certain concessions from Finland and Sweden to support their membership. Ankara has demanded the extradition of dozens of government opponents it has labeled “terrorists” from both countries in exchange for its support.
