Finland, one of NATO’s newest members, has been the target of aggressive Russian tactics since it joined the trans-Atlantic alliance in 2023. On June 10, 2024 , four Russian warplanes breached Finnish airspace. AFP/GETTY IMAGES
The Watch Staff
Four Russian warplanes breached Finnish airspace for the first time since the Nordic country joined NATO in 2023, leading Finland to launch an investigation. The four planes — two bombers and two fighters — spent only a few minutes in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland near the city of Loviisa on the morning of June 10, 2024, according to Reuters. The incident lasted about two minutes near the neighboring nation’s borders. Finnish Defense Minister Antti Haakaned said Finland “takes this violation very seriously.”
The last time a Russian warplane violated Finnish airspace was in August 2022 after Finland had announced its intentions to join NATO. After Finnish authorities announced the June 2024 Russian flights, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that two long-range aviation aircraft — a Tu-95MS strategic missile carrier and a Tu-22M3 long-range bomber, accompanied by two fighters — had participated in a routine exercise over the neutral waters of the Baltic and Barents seas. The Finnish Border Guard is in charge of the investigation and confirmed that four warplanes violated Finnish airspace. “Of course, if these kinds of airspace violations happen, and if they are deliberate and serious, we react to them, but the investigation is ongoing,” Finnish Chief of Defence Janne Jaakkola told Reuters on June 14, 2024.
Finland discontinued decades of foreign policy nonalignment following the cold peace after a brief war between Finland and Russia that ended in March 1940. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Finland quickly abandoned its previous policy and asked to join NATO. The Finnish people, increasingly uncertain about their future, see NATO as a vital component of their country’s national defense, according to a fall 2023 survey done by the Finnish government.
“Nine out of ten (Finns) are in favor of Finland being a member in NATO. … Nine out of ten think other NATO allies would support Finland if necessary. Similarly, nine out of ten feel that Finland is obliged to assist other allies, if necessary. NATO’s contribution to security has strengthened from last year. Now NATO is clearly seen as the most positive actor contributing to Finland’s security. … The positive impact of the United States on Finland’s security is also seen to have intensified. As far as Russia is concerned, Finns see only a negative impact on Finland’s security,” stated the survey’s executive summary.
Since that survey, Russia has further roiled Finland by facilitating illegal migration, often from African and Middle Eastern asylum seekers. In response, Helsinki closed the more than 800-kilometer land border with Russia in the late fall and winter before deciding to extend the closures for the foreseeable future, accusing Moscow of trying to destabilize its neighbor.