The dramatic moment when Russian nuclear-armed bombers entered EU airspace

Swedish media reported that four Russian warplanes equipped with nuclear weapons entered European Union airspace before being intercepted by Swedish fighter jets.

According to TV4, Expressen and Aftonbladet two two Sukhoi Su-24 bombers and two Sukhoi Su-27 fighters pounced on the Baltic towards the island of Gotland, in a maneuver that quickly escalated tensions and forced an intervention by the Swedish air force.

The bombers, seen in the photos with the individual stabilizing tails, were those that were supposedly equipped with nuclear weapons.

It should be noted that the Stockholm army has not yet confirmed the incident, despite widespread reports in Sweden.

The event represents a chilling escalation amid tensions between the West and Russia over the invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin's government forces.

According to what has transpired in the media, fighter jets took off from the Russian airbase in the Kaliningrad enclave during the March 2 incident.

Sources told TV4 that the move is believed to have been a deliberate attempt to intimidate Sweden.

In response, Swedish JAS 39 Gripen aircraft were sent to intercept Russian planes that were in their airspace for approximately one minute.

Stockholm confirmed the interception earlier this month, but reports of nuclear-armed aircraft have only emerged now.

The Su-24 are supersonic two-seater attack aircraft that have been in service since before the fall of the Soviet Union.

The aircraft has been used during the current war by both Russia and Ukraine.

It is understood that Russia has at least 500 nuclear weapons designated for use by its bombers, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

The Swedish Armed Forces refused to comment when TV4 contacted about nuclear weapons.

At the time of the raid, Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist said: “The Russian violation of Swedish airspace is, of course, completely unacceptable. It will lead to a strong diplomatic response from Sweden. Swedish sovereignty and territory must always be respected.”

The military said they were taking the incident “very seriously” and called the raid “unprofessional and irresponsible.”

Air Force Chief Carl-Johan Edström noted: “This is an unprofessional and irresponsible action on the part of Russia.”

Sweden was at that time conducting military exercises together with neighboring Finland. Neither country is a member of NATO.

The incursion into airspace also came just after Sweden committed itself to sending military aid, including 5,000 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, the first time since 1939 that Sweden had sent weapons to a country at war.

Jörgen Elfving, a former lieutenant colonel, told Aftonbladet that the incident raised questions about whether Sweden should be in NATO.

“If you now have a weapons system that can carry nuclear weapons and you do, it is not an everyday event. The handling of nuclear weapons is not done by anyone, it is not a routine event,” Elfving said.

The former officer said that such an incident has not occurred since the Cold War.

It has been previously reported that Russian bombers carried nuclear weapons while carrying out exercises near Western nations.

In 2015, it was reported that on at least two occasions Putin's planes had been carrying nuclear weapons near the United Kingdom.

KEEP READING