Finland, Estonia accuse Russia of airspace violations

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Picture of Russian SU-27 fighter violating Finland's airspace near Porvoo, Finland, early October 7, 2016. Finnish Air Force/Handout via REUTERS
Picture of Russian SU-27 fighter violating Finland’s airspace near Porvoo, Finland, early October 7, 2016. Finnish Air Force/Handout via REUTERS

Finland and Estonia accused Russia on Friday of violating their airspace, as Nordic and Baltic defence chiefs met their US counterpart to discuss growing security concerns in the region. “Russian SU-27 violates Estonia’s airspace. (Russian) ambassador summoned to (the foreign ministry in Tallinn),” Estonia’s permanent representation to Nato tweeted.

Finland, which is not a Nato member, said two Russian SU-27 fighter jets flew on separate occasions on Thursday into the Finnish airspace south of the coastal town of Porvoo. Moscow promptly denied Finland’s accusations. “A Sukhoi-27 jet .. performed a scheduled training mission over the neutral waters of the Gulf of Finland on October 6, 2016, and did not deflect from the designated flight path,” the Russian defence ministry said in a press release. The alleged airspace violations took place during the visit of Robert Work, US Deputy Secretary of Defence, as he met with his Nordic and Baltic counterparts in Helsinki.

“The only thing I can say is that these are becoming more a norm rather than the exception… I wouldn’t want to speculate on the timing,” Work told reporters. “These are unsatisfactory manoeuvres that are unsafe and unprofessional,” he added. The Nordic and Baltic region’s only non-aligned countries, Finland and Sweden, have stepped up their military cooperation with US, following concerns over Russia’s increased military activity in northern Europe.

Finland and the US on Friday signed a bilateral “statement of intent” to “deepen and increase the practical cooperation and collaboration”, after a similar deal between Sweden and US was signed in June. Russia has warned against Sweden and Finland joining Nato, an issue that is being debated in both countries. “The statement of intent which we signed today is another indication of how (close) we are becoming, both with Finland and with Sweden and all of the other nations in the region, those in Nato,” Work said. Finland’s defence minister Jussi Niinisto described the airspace violations as “exceptional”. “It is undisputably exceptional that two airspace violations take place within 24 hours,” he told the Finnish public broadcaster YLE.

AFP

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19 responses to “Finland, Estonia accuse Russia of airspace violations”

  1. Oh Yeah Avatar

    Russian might looms large over Estonia, military parades are back in fashion, and Germany is sending troops to the Baltic in previously decommissioned tanks.

    Moscow denies claims Russian jets violated Finnish, Estonian airspace.

    Is that just a coincident that at the same time-space lawmakers in the Kremlin-controlled State Duma voted unanimously to approve a deal that will allow Russia to keep its forces at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria
    The deal was signed in August 2015 in Damascus, a month before the Russian air campaign began.

    German aircraft patrolling over the Baltic Sea reported “noticeable and aggressive behavior” by the Russian jets, a spokesman for the German Defense Ministry said, according to Reuters.

    Is a new Cold War heating up?

    It would be interesting to know what kind of agreement Russia and Israel made when Benjamin Netanyahu has visited Russia the third time i the last year – Why is Israel important for Russia?

    Netanyahu can offer Putin reciprocal Israeli restraint in Syria, where Russia maintains a strategic Mediterranean base.

    There could also be the opportunity to play a greater role in Israeli-Palestinian peacekeeping, a process that has long been dominated by the United States.

    “We in Russia attach great important to our contacts with Israel. And not only because Israel is an important country, one of the key countries in the Middle East situation, but due to historic relations between our states,” – Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a meeting at the Kremlin.

    “We always have things to discuss, there are topics that are very important for our countries: technology, agricultural cooperation, trade, regional problems. We have many mutual challenges,” – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Putin.

    The two countries “each express their positions in a pretty constructive manner and all of this contributes to this rather frequent and intensive communication,” – Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar
      5thDrawer

      I’d guess we just have to tell Finnish, Estonian airspace watchers that they will have to send up a couple of fighters every time, like Canada does a few times a week, to tell them to get out of our North Pole area.
      Their training is our training … after all.
      But if you consider the satellite images available these days, the whole exercise is SUCH a waste of fuel – and the only reason for it is chest-thumping provocations … same as Israel applies to Lebanon.
      Repeat the mantras together:
      “We have many mutual challenges” which “contributes to this rather frequent and intensive communication” by pilots eyeballing each other.

      1. Oh Yeah Avatar

        It is not at all the “… same as Israel applies to Lebanon.”.

        Israel and Lebanon are entangled in a conflict (hostilities), mainly with Hezbollah.

        That is not the case between Russia, Finland and Estonia (EU) – there are no conflicts (hostilities) between those countries.

        1. 5thDrawer Avatar
          5thDrawer

          I worked with a Lady from Finland … mostly it was fear of Russia. But yes, no conflicts as long as the Fins kept quiet.

          1. Oh Yeah Avatar

            The fear of Russia (known as the Winter War)
            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/43a2a0ebcd1d7d2798c1504684b02f317200b9305a840a9d0522cc4e1a386c04.jpg
            is well remembered in finland.

  2. Rudy1947 Avatar

    Air violations may get Russia a few criticisms from the media and mid level gov’t officials, but the Russians will glean more important info. How did the country react, was there radar lock, was their aircraft sent to deter and how long did it take.

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar
      5thDrawer

      (responses of the warriors …)

      1. Rudy1947 Avatar

        A little presumptuous. This is a common practice to check defenses, been going on for years.

  3. Hind Abyad Avatar
    Hind Abyad

    Russian S-300 systems deployed in Syria after leaks on possible strike at aerodromes.
    https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/russian-s-300-systems-deployed-syria-leaks-possible-strike-aerodromes/

    1. Rudy1947 Avatar

      Old news Hind Cronkite.

      1. Hind Abyad Avatar
        Hind Abyad

        News Desk – 08/10/2016

        1. Rudy1947 Avatar

          Thanx for verifying.

          1. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            Not verifying, answering your lies Crook.

          2. Rudy1947 Avatar

            Old news my dear. BTW, like the area rug over the hardwood floors. Nice touch.

            http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/171767

          3. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            Binyamin Netanyahu met Russian leader Vladimir Putin two weeks earlier and reportedly asked him not to deliver the system to Syria.

            Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.
            “First, S-400 systems have been there for a long time and this fact was taken calmly, no one said it was for a show,” she said in an interview with the Dozhd TV channel. “S-300 systems were deployed following leaks from experts close to the United States’ officials that cruise missiles could be used to bomb Syrian aerodromes, and these leaks probably were not groundless.”
            “Taking into account the fact that our aerospace force is conducting an operation and our systems are deployed there, no one knows were a missile might fly. That’s why, an S-300 system was deployed,” she said.

          4. Rudy1947 Avatar

            Thanx for the old news……again.

          5. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            Old news *Not for circulation”, are all over. Don’t thank me…..again.

          6. Rudy1947 Avatar

            Are you an advertisement for wikileaks or is wikileaks running out of info that is not already known.

          7. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            I’m mocking YaLibnan article;
            “WikiLeaks’ ‘October Surprise’ a flop. No Clinton revelations revealed”.
            https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0fcdaa3ea38b3d4a77f0ab792a57ace580a5a19ed88c963a4c5afeea8fc10664.jpg

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