Swedish Air Force: We will shoot down Russian planes violating NATO airspace

The head of the Swedish Air Force, Mikael Claesson, said today that the country's pilots can use force against Russian fighter jets and drones violating NATO airspace, SVT reports, quoted by Focus.

"This decision must be made by the pilot of the plane in question“, Claesson stated.

He noted that the Swedish military will shoot down planes as a last resort in the event of a serious violation.

"If the violator does not obey orders, the last resort is the possibility of using force, first to warn and then to open effective fire. In other words, shoot down the plane,” he announced.

According to Claesson, the decision to open fire is ultimately made by the pilot of the plane, who is facing a threat to the Swedish border.

"I believe that our pilots have sufficient training and experience to make decisions in such situations", the commander-in-chief is confident.

Escalation cannot be ruled out, but Claesson does not consider it the most likely development of events.

"I do not think Russia wants to go to war with NATO. I think they want to divide NATO politically, to show our weaknesses, to exploit them and to instill fear among our population", the commander-in-chief of the Swedish Air Force notes.