Sweden says Russian warplane violated its airspace

The commander of Sweden’s air force posted on Saturday that a Russian military aircraft violated Swedish airspace on Friday east of Gotland.

“The Russian act is unacceptable and shows a lack of respect for our territorial integrity,” commander of the Swedish Air Force, Jonas Wikman, posted on X.

Sweden formally joined NATO as the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance in March.

It ended decades of post-World War II neutrality and centuries of broader non-alignment with major powers as security concerns in Europe have spiked following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Sweden, along with Finland, which joined NATO last year, abandoned the long-standing military neutrality that was a hallmark of the Nordic states’ Cold War foreign policy after Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022.