Denmark and Sweden are summoning Russian ambassadors to their countries after a Russian spy plane violated their airspace. Authorities in both Denmark and Sweden said the Russian plane entered Danish airspace east of the Danish Baltic island of Bornholm on Friday night and then entered Swedish airspace. Danish Foreign Minister Jepe Kofod said Russia’s ambassador to Denmark had been summoned in connection with the spy plane, which he described as “unacceptable”. “There are established procedures for such cases. “It mainly concerns the summoning of the representative of the involved nation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”, he stated in an email. “The Russian ambassador will be summoned to the Foreign Ministry tomorrow,” Kofont wrote on Twitter on Sunday. “A new Russian violation of Danish airspace. “This is completely unacceptable and particularly worrying in the current situation.” The Swedish Foreign Ministry also said that the Russian ambassador would be invited to Stockholm. “There are established procedures for such cases. “It mainly concerns the summoning of the representative of the nation involved to the Foreign Ministry,” the Swedish ministry said in an email. The airspace breach provoked quick reactions in Sweden, where Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist told local media that such an action was “unprofessional” and “inappropriate” given the escalating tensions in the region over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Swedish Ministry of Defense said in a statement that the invasion of the “Russian propeller plane AN-30” was monitored and recorded. In early March, four Russian fighter jets penetrated airspace over Sweden. Henrik Mortensen, a spokesman for the Danish Defense Command, said the Russian reconnaissance plane was in Danish airspace “for a very short time. Two Danish F-16s immediately intervened “. He said such incidents are rare. Since Moscow launched its land, sea and air offensive against Ukraine on February 24, the Nordic countries such as Sweden and Finland have reconsidered their long-standing military neutrality and are considering joining NATO. The two countries are expected to announce their plan to apply for NATO membership in mid-May – a move strongly encouraged by the United States, according to sources. Moscow has repeatedly warned the two northernmost states of the European Union of such a decision. Denmark is already a member of the Western Military Alliance.
