Russia goes with nuclear power? Sweden says it distorted JAS-39 fighter jet to capture Russian jets armed with nuclear weapons
Two Russian jets that violated Swedish airspace earlier this month were equipped with nuclear weapons, according to reports. This is happening in the midst of rising tensions between Russia and NATO over Ukraine.
Swedish news channel TV4 Nyheterna claimed that it was a deliberate act intended to frighten Sweden. A total of four planes took off from Kaliningrad, Russia’s air base. These were two Sukhoi 24 bombers with two Sukhoi 27 fighter jets escorting them.
The bombers were reportedly armed with nuclear weapons. The Swedish government later confirmed this, calling Russian officials to account for the act of aggression and demanding answers.
Klara Hook, spokeswoman for the State Department, said: “There are established procedures for such matters and they involve calling a representative of the nation who is responsible for the violation to the State Department.”
The violation on Swedish soil lasted for about a minute. The country’s air force sent out two JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets that took photographs of the intruding jets. – This is a signal to Sweden that we have nuclear weapons and we can also consider using them, says the military strategic expert Stefan Ring to TV4 Nyheter.
“We consider it a deliberate act. Which is very serious, especially as [Russia] is a warring country, says the air force chief Carl-Johan Edström. “I can not rule out incorrect navigation, but all indications are that it was an intentional act. That they broke Sweden’s borders, he added. ”
Tensions between Sweden and Russia
Sweden said on March 23 that it would supply Ukraine with 5,000 anti-tank missiles and other military equipment. This is the first time since 1939 that the government has supplied weapons to a country at war.
In addition, despite the fact that it has historically never been a member of NATO, there is now a revived discussion of the prospects in the light of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, has already said that Sweden and Finland joining NATO would have “serious military and political consequences”.
In the 1990s, Sweden and Finland purposefully remained politically neutral. However, they joined the European Union in 1995. This is partly due to their military freedom of alliance policy, but an increase in what both countries see as Russian aggression in recent years has generated speculation about possible NATO inclusion.
![Russia MiG-29](https://eurasiantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Russia-MiG-29.jpg)
Although Sweden does not share a border with Russia, its proximity to the region and the repercussions of the conflict may affect its interests. The Baltic Sea island of Gotland, which is often the target of Russian military operations, is a dispute between Sweden and Russia.
At the same time, according to a recent opinion poll made by Demoskop on behalf of Aftonbladet, now 51 percent of Swedes support a NATO membership, up from 42 percent in January. The number of people who opposed joining fell from 37% to 27%. This is the first time such a survey has yielded a positive result.
Sweden’s Minister of Defense Peter Hultqvist, for his part, emphasized that joining NATO was not an easy decision to make and that it must not be rushed solely on the basis of recent events.
![Hungarian Gripen](https://eurasiantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hungarian-Gripen-e1648019089479.jpg)
“Changing the defense doctrine, it’s a very big decision, so you do not do it overnight and you can not do it because of opinion polls,” he said at a press conference in Copenhagen.
However, the Swedish Prime Minister soon stated that she no longer ruled out NATO membership, which signaled a change in the current government’s stance, which had previously denied the possibility.
– I do not exclude NATO membership in any way, says Magdalena Andersson to SVT. “But I want to make a well-founded analysis of the opportunities that exist for us and the threats and risks that exist to be able to make the decision that is best for Sweden.”