Russian Strategic Bombers Flew Near Latvia — Three Versions of How It Happened 0 19

French Version

According to the French military contingent based in Lithuania as part of the NATO air policing mission in the Baltic, on Monday, April 20, fighter jets from several Alliance countries were scrambled.

Aircraft from Sweden, Finland, Poland, Denmark, and Romania joined the operation, as well as French Rafales.

Swedish Version

The Swedish Air Force reports that its fighters, in conjunction with the Danes, intercepted Russian Tu-22M3 bombers escorted by Su-35S fighters.

"Swedish fighters intercepted two Russian strategic bombers Tu-22M3 over the Baltic Sea today. The bombers were accompanied by two Russian fighters, and the interception was coordinated with NATO allies," the statement said.

Swedish JAS 39 Gripen fighters intercepted two Russian Tu-22M3 and a pair of Su-35S near the island of Gotland, which were flying close to Swedish airspace.

As the Russian air group approached the area of Bornholm Island and Danish airspace, Danish F-35A fighters took over the escort.

Russian Version

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that long-range Tu-22M3 bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces conducted a scheduled flight. This occurred over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea.

It was noted that the flight lasted more than four hours. During this time, Russian pilots on Su-35 aircraft provided fighter escort. At certain stages of the route, Russian aircraft were escorted by fighters from foreign states.

The Russian defense ministry emphasized that long-range aviation crews regularly conduct flights over neutral waters of the Arctic, North Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, as well as the Black and Baltic Seas. All flights of the Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft are carried out in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace over neutral waters.

For Reference

Tu-22M3 (NATO codename: Backfire) is a Soviet and Russian long-range supersonic missile-carrying bomber with variable-sweep wings. The aircraft is designed to engage naval and ground targets at great distances from airfields.

Maximum speed: 2300 km/h (M=2.2). The aircraft is capable of carrying up to 24,000 kg of payload.