The Swedish Air Force activated fighters on standby on January 23 after identifying two Su-35S and a Russian Tu-22M3 bomber over the Baltic Sea.
Swedish aircraft took off to accompany the flight and closely monitor movement, within the air policing protocols adopted by NATO.
The meeting took place in international airspace, in a region that has seen a frequent presence of Russian military aviation since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine. According to the Swedish Armed Forces, the mission aimed to establish a presence and ensure that any activity close to 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 employing cruise missiles and anti-ship weapons. Training with escort fighters and bombers is considered standard in long-distance patrols carried out by Moscow in the vicinity of NATO countries.
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Images released by the Swedish military show the fighters flying side by side with the Russian aircraft at altitude, visually confirming the identification. Sweden highlighted that there was no violation of its airspace and that the action is part of the missions coordinated with NATO since the country’s accession to 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
During yesterday, the Swedish incident response identified two Russian Su-35S fighter jets and a Russian Tu-22M bomber over the Baltic Sea. Swedish fighter aircraft marked their presence and ensured that air movements in our immediate area do not go unnoticed. #NATO #svfm pic.twitter.com/7LCvOjfVEf
— Armed Forces (@Forsvarsmakten) January 23, 2026
