In what has been described as a “deliberate act of intimidation,” Russian jets allegedly armed with nuclear weapons invaded Swedish airspace.
On March 2, four Sukhoi SU 27 and two Sukhoi SU 24 planes took off from the Russian advanced air station in Kaliningrad, bound for the Swedish island of Gotland.

Russian aircraft often test the reaction times of NATO and non-aligned air forces such as Sweden and Finland.

However, due to the recent Russian war on Ukraine, the Swedish Air Force was on high alert and detected the jets early on.

However, it was only today (March 30) that it was revealed that the Russian planes were thought to be armed with live nuclear missiles at the time.

The two Sukhoi SU 24 assault planes were carrying nuclear bombs during the raid, according to TV4 Nyheter.

According to military analyst Stefan Ring, the aggressive gesture served as a warning to Sweden that Russia possessed nuclear weapons and was not afraid to use them.

Carl-Johan Edstrom, Chief of the Swedish Air Force, stated, “We evaluate it as a deliberate activity, which is quite severe, especially given that you are a country at war.”

He went on to say that, while the Russian pilots may have been on a harmless exercise and wound up in Swedish territory due to a navigational error, the invasion seemed to be intentional.

The Russian jets were briefly in Swedish airspace for a few seconds before returning to Russian territory.

Nonetheless, Edstrom stated, “The Russian side’s behaviour is unethical and reckless.”

Sweden is not a full NATO member, although Swedish forces have previously engaged in NATO-led missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Afghanistan (ISAF), and Libya.

The stunning occurrence occurred only days after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened Sweden and neighbouring Finland with military action if they elected to join NATO.

According to a recent survey conducted by the Swedish public broadcaster SVT, support for full NATO membership is at an all-time high of 41 percent.

Late last year, the Scandinavian state increased its defence budget by nearly 40%, with an additional 27 billion Swedish kronor (just over £2 billion) added to the country’s defence spending from 2021 to 2025.