Denmark & Sweden call ambassadors after allegations that Russia violated their airspace
The Danish and Swedish governments have revealed that a Russian spy plane has violated NATO airspace in recent days, which has led to the Russian ambassador to these countries being called because of the incident.
According to the Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod, the Russian aircraft entered Danish airspace over the island of Bornholm on Friday, reports SchengenVisaInfo.com.
“This is completely unacceptable and particularly worrying in the current situation,” Minister Kofod said in a statement on Sunday.
In addition, Sweden, which intends to become part of NATO alliance soon, has also expressed similar concerns about a Russian spy plan, calling the violation “unacceptable” and “unprofessional”. In addition, the Swedish Foreign Ministry said that the Russian ambassador would be called to Stockholm after the incident.
“There are established routines for this type of case. It is above all important to call the representative of the nation involved to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “ noted in an email.
The violation of the airspace of the Scandinavian countries comes at a very unfavorable time, as the war in Ukraine caused by the Russian invasion is ongoing. This incident may even have prompted Finland and Sweden to seriously consider NATO membership, which would offer protection to these countries in the event of any military risks to their territory or population.
Since the end of February, when Russia invaded Ukraine, there have been frequent and intense discussions between Russian and Scandinavian countries such as Finland and Sweden, where the two of the latter have been warned to join NATO.
When asked about the situation, the Swedish Minister of Defense denied the claim that the violation is linked to the ongoing discussion that Sweden is joining NATO, and says that there is no evidence that leads to the conclusion.
However, this is not the first time Russian aircraft have been captured while flying near NATO airspace. In 2020, a Russian fighter jet followed an American B-52 bomber over Denmark, which was also condemned and called a “significant violation” of NATO airspace, where the incident also occurred near Bornholm.
In addition, a similar incident occurred in March over Swedish territory, which Sweden’s Minister of Defense had revealed.
According to him, two Russian SU27 and two SU24 fighter jets entered Swedish airspace, more specifically east of the Swedish island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea.
“Russia’s violation of Swedish airspace is, of course, completely unacceptable. This will lead to a definite diplomatic response from Sweden. Swedish sovereignty and territory must always be respected. ” the Minister of Defense had told a news agency.
There are currently 30 countries on NATO’s list, with eight of its founding members being EU countries such as Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Iceland, Portugal and Norway.