After a relatively quiet period, it seems, is once again a growing activity in the Baltic sea area, and security was under threat.
Multinational Maritime exercise Baltops, which involved 14 countries, including Finland, were conducted in the Baltic in the first two weeks of June. They ended on 16 June, Russian air activity was very high during the exercises and after them.
Finnish Hornet aircraft repeatedly found Russian military aircraft over the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic sea. In the southern part of the Baltic sea, the Swedish military aircraft also identified large bombers Tupolev — Tu-60.
Russian fighters in turn raised up to push back the American B-52 bomber that flew over the Baltic sea near the Russian border.
Much worse it was in the beginning of last week, when Russian fighter jets at a very short distance and were accompanied by Swedish and American reconnaissance planes. Yesterday Dagens Nyheter wrote that the air incident between Russia and Sweden was very serious. The Russian plane was flying so close that the Swedish pilot, for security reasons, was forced to suspend its mission in international airspace near Kaliningrad. The Swedish Ministry of foreign Affairs summoned the Russian Ambassador to get an explanation.
Also received information that in the same area, the Russian pilot of su-27 flying at a distance of only two meters from the American electronic reconnaissance aircraft.
Such close encounters — a sign that in the Baltic sea is growing again tension. She’s obviously the stronger, the less time remains before large-scale military exercises, which Russia and Western countries in September.
If everything is just as full of provocation periods of tension in the past, we may soon see how the Russian will to violate the airspace of Finland.
In addition, this summer, Russia is flexing its Maritime muscles during naval parade in St. Petersburg. Recently the largest submarine in the world crossed the Baltic sea, heading to the Gulf of Finland, to St. Petersburg. “Dmitry Donskoy”, capable of carrying 200 nuclear warheads, take place military-sea salon and in late July the boat will be the headliner at the celebration day of Russian Navy in Kronstadt.
Giant nuclear submarine is absolutely not suited to “walk” in the Baltic sea. Taking her on the surface, as it is unsuitable for submarine operations in such shallow water. But if we are talking about a propaganda visit, then obviously, even profitable, it can be seen on the surface along the way.
In September, Russia is hosting in the Baltic sea region large-scale military exercises “West-2017”. These large-scale maneuvers called “West” is held for the fourth time since the collapse of the Soviet Union. According to some estimates, this year the exercise will be two times bigger than four years ago, and they are attended by 100 thousand Russian soldiers.
At about the same time Sweden will host its first exercise in 20 years. “Aurora 17” as they are called, will take place in and around Gotland. The exercise involved and the foreign troops, for example, from Finland, Norway, Denmark and the USA.
In addition, in the Baltic sea are also the teachings of the “North shore” (Northern Coasts 2017), designed exclusively for marine forces. Sweden will play the role of the host country, taking around ten participants from the Baltic States and NATO countries.
Newspaper HBL on Tuesday talked about Sunvisson Swede Pelle (Pelle Sunvisson), which suits the Russian-Swedish peace camp on the Aland Islands. Sunvisson activist campaign, which aims to stop conducting military exercises in Swedish, so the camp will be held simultaneously with them.
Military exercises can be considered provocative, but if the big neighbor is increasing its military presence, building up of weapons and the activity, and also holds large-scale military exercises in neighboring countries can’t just look at it. There is no alternative to the planned exercise, in which Finland participates. The Baltic sea is not the backyard of Russia, even if this country sometimes behaves as if it were.
To gather on åland and discuss the world, of course, will not hurt, but this does not affect the strategic plans of Russia in the military sphere and in the field of security policy. Rather, one can believe Himanen Ambassador Hannu (Hannu Himanen), who believes that the idea of the camp is part of the Russian strategy in order to influence public opinion in Sweden and Finland.
