Two Russian fighter jets have reportedly violated Finnish airspace, according to the Ministry of Defence in Finland which, along with Sweden, is involved in negotiations to join NATO.
"Two Russian MIG-31 fighters are suspected of violating Finnish airspace in the Gulf of Finland, off the coast of Porvoo,” the ministry said in a statement. The Finnish Air Force has taken action to identify the planes, the ministry said, adding that Finnish border guards have launched “a preliminary investigation”.
The incident took place at 9:40 a.m. on Thursday and lasted about two minutes when the fighter jets flew about a kilometer to the west, a Defence Ministry spokesman said.
Finland, which has a 1,300-kilometer-long border with Russia and is traditionally non-aligned, made history in May by applying to join NATO after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February.
Finland’s Internal Security Service, SUPO, had already warned in May that Russia wants to influence Finland’s NATO application process and that “several attempts to do so are to be expected.”
