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Finland reports increased Russian air activity
The heightened activity over the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea was first detected on 6 December and has continued through to the time of reporting by the Helsinki Times . The FinAF noted that Russian forces are staging military exercises in the region, but it is not known how long these will continue.
According to the report, Finland's defence minister, Carl Haglund, said that this increased air activity represented a clear demonstration of Russian power and capacity to act militarily in the region. While the chief of the FinAF, Brigadier General Petri Tolla, declined to give numbers, he said that his pilots were seeing multiple Russian aircraft of different types operating in the region at all hours of the day and night. He did, however, stress that no Russian aircraft had so far violated Finland's airspace.
In response to the increased Russian activity, Finland has raised the readiness levels of its Boeing F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft to mirror NATO's increased air-policing mission in the Baltic. "Everyone's airborne," the Helsinki Times quoted Haglund as saying.
COMMENT
The Finnish reports of 'heightened air activity' come on the back of an already increased level of Russian military movements across Europe in general, and over the Baltic in particular.
Although President Vladimir Putin has not admitted as much, this increased military activity is a direct response to Western sanctions and NATO military deployments because of the crisis in Ukraine. Typically, NATO has reported large-scale air patrols involving multiple aircraft types, such as Tupolev Tu-95 'Bear' and Tu-22M 'Backfire' bombers; Sukhoi Su-27 'Flanker', MiG-29 'Fulcrum', and MiG-31 'Foxhound' fighters; Su-24 'Fencer' and Su-34 'Fullback' strike aircraft; Ilyushin Il-76 'Candid' and Antonov An-26 'Curl' transport aircraft; as well as Il-78 'Midas' aerial refuellers, and An-50 'Mainstay' airborne early warning and control aircraft, skirting European airspace.
The US government has already warned of its concerns about Russia's heightened air activity, citing the destabilising effect that this is having as well as the risks to commercial air traffic. NATO has reported that, up until the end of October, it had conducted more than 100 intercepts of Russian aircraft in 2014, which is about three times more than were conducted in 2013.
With no end to the crisis in Ukraine in sight, this increased Russian air activity is something that NATO and other European nations will be dealing with for some time to come.
Finland reports increased Russian air activity
The heightened activity over the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea was first detected on 6 December and has continued through to the time of reporting by the Helsinki Times . The FinAF noted that Russian forces are staging military exercises in the region, but it is not known how long these will continue.
According to the report, Finland's defence minister, Carl Haglund, said that this increased air activity represented a clear demonstration of Russian power and capacity to act militarily in the region. While the chief of the FinAF, Brigadier General Petri Tolla, declined to give numbers, he said that his pilots were seeing multiple Russian aircraft of different types operating in the region at all hours of the day and night. He did, however, stress that no Russian aircraft had so far violated Finland's airspace.
In response to the increased Russian activity, Finland has raised the readiness levels of its Boeing F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft to mirror NATO's increased air-policing mission in the Baltic. "Everyone's airborne," the Helsinki Times quoted Haglund as saying.
COMMENT
The Finnish reports of 'heightened air activity' come on the back of an already increased level of Russian military movements across Europe in general, and over the Baltic in particular.
Although President Vladimir Putin has not admitted as much, this increased military activity is a direct response to Western sanctions and NATO military deployments because of the crisis in Ukraine. Typically, NATO has reported large-scale air patrols involving multiple aircraft types, such as Tupolev Tu-95 'Bear' and Tu-22M 'Backfire' bombers; Sukhoi Su-27 'Flanker', MiG-29 'Fulcrum', and MiG-31 'Foxhound' fighters; Su-24 'Fencer' and Su-34 'Fullback' strike aircraft; Ilyushin Il-76 'Candid' and Antonov An-26 'Curl' transport aircraft; as well as Il-78 'Midas' aerial refuellers, and An-50 'Mainstay' airborne early warning and control aircraft, skirting European airspace.
The US government has already warned of its concerns about Russia's heightened air activity, citing the destabilising effect that this is having as well as the risks to commercial air traffic. NATO has reported that, up until the end of October, it had conducted more than 100 intercepts of Russian aircraft in 2014, which is about three times more than were conducted in 2013.
With no end to the crisis in Ukraine in sight, this increased Russian air activity is something that NATO and other European nations will be dealing with for some time to come.
Finland reports increased Russian air activity
