The Swedish Air Force scrambled alert fighters on January 23 after identifying two Su-35S and a Tu-22M3 bomber from Russia over the Baltic Sea.
The Swedish aircraft took off to follow the flight and closely monitor the movements, within the air policing protocols adopted by NATO.
The encounter took place in international airspace, in a region that has seen frequent Russian military aviation presence since the start of the conflict in Ukraine. According to the Swedish Armed Forces, the mission’s objective was to assert presence and ensure that any activity near the national territory was monitored in real-time.
The Su-35S is used by Russia in air superiority missions, while the Tu-22M3 is a long-range bomber capable of deploying cruise missiles and anti-ship weapons. The formation of escort fighters and a bomber is considered standard in long-range patrols conducted by Moscow near NATO countries.
Images released by the Swedish military show the fighters flying side by side with the Russian aircraft at altitude, visually confirming the identification. Sweden emphasized that there was no violation of its airspace and that the action is part of coordinated missions with NATO since the country joined the alliance in 2024.
Source: Defence Blog | Photo: X @Forsvarsmakten | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
Under gårdagen identifierade den svenska incidentberedskapen två ryska stridsflyg av typen Su-35S och ett ryskt bombflyg av typen Tu-22M över Östersjön. Svenskt stridsflyg markerade närvaro och säkerställde att flygrörelser i vårt närområde inte går förbi obemärkt. #NATO #svfm pic.twitter.com/7LCvOjfVEf
— Försvarsmakten (@Forsvarsmakten) January 23, 2026
