Finland suspects two Russian fighter jets of violating Finnish airspace

A file photo of a Russian Air Force MiG-31 fighter jet. The suspected violation occurred at around 9:40am near the city of Porvoo and lasted for about two minutes. (REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin)

Two Russian MiG-31 fighter jets are suspected of violating Finnish airspace in the Gulf of Finland off the southern coast on Thursday morning, the Ministry of Defence has stated in a press release.

The suspected violation occurred at around 9:40am near the city of Porvoo and lasted for about two minutes, the ministry’s communications chief Kristian Vakkuri told Yle. The jets are believed to have travelled about one kilometre in Finnish airspace before heading west.

The Finnish Air Force scrambled an operational reconnaissance flight in response to the suspected violation.

Finland’s Border Guard has launched a preliminary investigation into the incident and will provide more information at a later date, Vakkuri added.

Last May, a Russian Mi-17 transport helicopter entered Finnish airspace twice on the same day, but the resulting investigation determined that the incidents were not considered to be serious violations.

Related stories from around the North: 

Canada: Canada needs a ‘more consistent’ presence in North to bolster security, Inuit leader says, CBC News

Finland: Norwegian military vehicles take new transit corridor via Finnish Lapland, The Independent Barents Observer

NorwayDefence minister says Norway must get stronger in the North, The Independent Barents Observer

Russia: Russian fishermen violated shore leave regulations, The Independent Barents Observer

Sweden: Finland, Sweden take huge step toward NATO membership, The Associated Press

United States: U.S. Army poised to revamp Alaska forces to prep for Arctic fight, The Associated Press

Yle News

For more news from Finland visit Yle News.

One thought on “Finland suspects two Russian fighter jets of violating Finnish airspace

  • Thursday, August 18, 2022 at 11:20
    Permalink

    They’re probably using civilian GPS from phones to navigate, typical of Russian tech..

    Reply
Do you want to report an error or a typo? Click here!

Leave a Reply

Note: By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that Radio Canada International has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Radio Canada International does not endorse any of the views posted. Your comments will be pre-moderated and published if they meet netiquette guidelines.
Netiquette »

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *