Category
Latest news

Gripens Scramble to Intercept Armed Russian Jets Near Baltic Border

3 min read
Authors
Gripens Scramble to Intercept Armed Russian Jets Near Baltic Border
Two Russian Su-30 fighter jets over the Baltic Sea, June 20, 2025. (Source: Försvarsmakten)

Sweden scrambled two JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets on June 20 after Russian Su-30 fighter aircraft were detected flying in international airspace over the southern Baltic Sea, close to Swedish territory, military media Defence Blog reported on June 23.

The high-alert response—launched on Midsummer’s Eve, one of Sweden’s most celebrated holidays—comes amid growing tensions in the Baltic region and a sharp rise in Russian military flights near NATO airspace.

Swedish Air Force Saab JAS 39 Gripen jet fighters take part in the NATO exercise as part of the NATO Air Policing mission, in Alliance members' sovereign airspace on July 4, 2023. (Source: Getty Images)
Swedish Air Force Saab JAS 39 Gripen jet fighters take part in the NATO exercise as part of the NATO Air Policing mission, in Alliance members' sovereign airspace on July 4, 2023. (Source: Getty Images)

“This was not a training exercise,” said Mikael Ågren, spokesperson for the Swedish Armed Forces. “We identified other aircraft,” he added, confirming that the response was triggered by the detection of two Russian Sukhoi Su-30SM multirole fighters.

The Russian aircraft were reportedly armed with Kh-31P (NATO reporting name: AS-17 Krypton) anti-radiation missiles—an armament typically used for targeting radar systems in potential conflict scenarios.

Swedish fighter jets took off around 6:15 p.m. local time and patrolled the skies above Malmö and Skåne in southern Sweden.

The Russian jets did not violate Swedish airspace, but their proximity prompted a rapid interception. The Gripens returned to base by 7:30 p.m., according to local media and military statements.

Ågren reassured the public, noting, “It’s a signal to show that we’ve seen them and that we’re on our toes—even on Midsummer’s Eve. Everything we do, we do for the sake of freedom.”

Residents across the region reported seeing the jets overhead, with sightings even reaching the Stockholm area. Ågren responded to the public’s concern by saying, “If you hear Swedish jets overhead, it’s the sound of freedom.”

The incident is the latest in a string of aerial encounters between Russian and NATO forces in the Baltic Sea, now informally dubbed a “NATO lake” after Sweden and Finland joined the alliance.

Over the past two weeks, NATO’s Baltops-25 military exercise has involved 40 ships, 25 aircraft, and nearly 9,000 personnel, intensifying regional military activity.

During the drills, British Royal Air Force Typhoon jets based in Poland were scrambled six times in just as many days to intercept Russian aircraft flying near alliance airspace.

Earlier, two British Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4 fighter jets were scrambled from Malbork Air Base in Poland to intercept and shadow two Russian military aircraft flying out of Kaliningrad airspace.

See all