Finland will step up surveillance of its airspace in a bid to deter further incursions into its airspace by Russian aircraft, the defence minister announced on Friday.

Speaking on Yle’s Radio 1 on Friday morning, Carl Haglund appeared to harden his stance on the actions by Russian planes, following allegations of a third unauthorised aircraft violating Finnish airspace within a week.

“There has not been any credible or sufficient explanation as to why the planes entered our skies,” Haglund said, adding: “It can’t be that hard to stick within your own airspace.”

Tougher words

When the first report of an incursion surfaced at the start of the week, Haglund initially sought to play down the seriousness of the incident. ”We do not interpret this possible incursion as provocation,” Ilta-Sanomat reported him as saying.

However, after the third alleged appearance of Russian aircraft in Finnish-controlled areas on Thursday, the defence minister was telling media that it was very difficult to see how the incursions could be a coincidence.

By Friday Haglund had toughened his words further and appeared to be losing patience, calling on Russia to “get its act together”.

Haglund said the defence forces had launched its Hornet fighters in response to the breaches earlier this week.

He also announced that surveillance of Finnish skies will be markedly increased and Hornets will conduct more frequent airspace patrols in response to the recent incidents.

Neighbourly relations

Haglund refused to comment on what he believed the motive for the breaches might be. “Groundless speculation is not healthy for neighbourly relations,” he said.

However the defence minister dismissed claims that Russia’s alleged actions were a response to the forthcoming Northern Coasts military exercise, in which a number of NATO countries will take part, and which will be conducted in the Turku region.

“I find that hard to believe,” Haglund said, adding that the exercise has been carried out in Finland before, in 2010, when it did not elicit any reaction from Russia.

He told Yle that he had spoken with Russia’s foreign ministry on the subject of the incursions, and said Finland was trying to use diplomatic measures to communicate the message that such conduct is unacceptable.

Frustration

In an unusual move on Thursday afternoon, the Finnish Air Force released a photo of a Russian border guard plane, which it says was taken in Finnish airspace on Thursday. 

Haglund described yesterday’s publication of the photograph as “a small rap on the knuckles for Russia”.

”[Publishing it] perhaps reflects our frustration with the situation,” Haglund said.