TV4: Russian planes that violated Swedish airspace were equipped with nuclear weapons
Two of the Russian planes that violated Swedish airspace on March 2 were armed with nuclear weapons, TV4 reports. The Swedish defense does not want to comment on the claims.
Swedish TV4 did not provide any sources for the information about the planes that violated the airspace on Gotland.
On March 2, the Swedish Armed Forces stated that a total of four Russian aircraft of the type Su-27 and Su-24 had violated Swedish airspace. The Swedish Air Force sent out fighter jets to intercept them. According to TV4’s information, the fighter jets Su-24 were equipped with nuclear weapons.
The airspace violation lasted for about one minute and took place over the sea areas east of Gotland at the same time as Sweden and Finland carried out a joint military exercise in the Baltic Sea. Minister of Defense Peter Hultqvist called the incident “very serious.”
Expert skeptical
Security expert Johan Wiktorin is very skeptical of TV4’s information, the newspaper Expressen pointed out.
“Su-24 is admittedly designed to carry tactical nuclear weapons, but in the form of bombs. So they have to fly to a destination. The formation with escorting Su-27 that was described in connection with the (airspace) violation also speaks against behavior that one should have with such a load,” he wrote on Twitter.
Deliberate act
Although the army did not comment on the type of weapons that the planes had, they clearly stated that they considered the violation a deliberate act.
“It is very serious, especially considering that it is a country at war,” Air Force Chief Carl-Johan Edström told TV4.
No violations in Norway
The Norwegian Armed Forces stated on March 2 that no Russian aircraft had been observed in Norwegian airspace. The Armed Forces’ operational headquarters told Dagbladet on Wednesday that there have still been no violations of Norwegian airspace.
“All activity off the coast of Finnmark has taken place in international airspace. The identifications – not the interceptions – that take place are carried out in a professional, predictable, and safe manner,” lieutenant colonel Ivar Moen stated.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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