OSLO: Norway’s government announced on Tuesday that Russia had violated Norwegian airspace on three separate occasions this year.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store described these incidents as unacceptable regardless of whether they were intentional or caused by navigation errors.
The first violation occurred on April 25 when a Russian SU-24 fighter jet entered Norwegian airspace for four minutes.
A L410 Turbolet transport aircraft followed on July 24, remaining in Norwegian airspace for three minutes.
The most recent incident involved an SU-33 fighter jet that entered Norwegian airspace for one minute on August 18.
Store noted that these violations were smaller in scale than those experienced by Estonia, Poland, and Romania.
He emphasised that Norway nevertheless takes these events very seriously despite their limited duration and location.
Norway serves as a key NATO member often described as the alliance’s eyes and ears in the far north.
The country shares both a maritime border and a 198-kilometre land border with Russia. – AFP