Chose not to follow Russian jets: Sweden

Chief of Operations, Lieutenant General Anders Silwer speaking at a press conference on Monday. (Leo Sellén/Scanpix/Radio Sweden)
Chief of Operations, Lieutenant General Anders Silwer speaking at a press conference on Monday. (Leo Sellén/Scanpix/Radio Sweden)

When Russian jets and bombers carried out military exercises off the Swedish coast on Good Friday, Sweden’s armed forces did not see the need to trail them with their own jets.

“In this case we made a judgement that we would not have any capability on standby,” Lieutenant General Anders Silwer told a press conference in Stockholm on Monday.

He also echoed an earlier comment from Foreign Minister, Carl Bildt.

“We do not react to everything,” he said, adding that it was not clear in advance that Russia’s airforce planned manoeuvres in the Baltic Sea.

Responding to criticism from Sweden’s opposition Social Democratic Party that the country appeared unprepared for the Russian exercises, Silwer said the aircraft were being tracked by radar stations at all times.

Related Link:

Russians practised attack on Sweden, Radio Sweden

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