Russian military jet in 'near miss' with passenger plane
Near collision over Baltic Sea is latest in rising tide of close encounters between Russia and the West

A Russian intelligence jet nearly collided with a passenger plane belonging to the Scandinavian airline SAS over the Baltic Sea last week, according to Swedish officials.
The commercial flight, taking off from Copenhagen airport on Friday, was ordered to change course as soon as the military plane was detected, said Sweden's defence minister Peter Hultqvist.
The Russian plane had allegedly turned off its transponders in order to avoid commercial radar, which Hultqvist said was "serious, inappropriate and downright dangerous".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He told reporters: "It is remarkable and very serious. There is a risk of accidents that could ultimately lead to deaths."
However, Major General Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian defence ministry, said the two planes were never less than 42 miles apart.
Konashenkov said the military plane had been complying with the rules and was at a safe distance from civilian air passenger routes, reports The Independent.
"There were no prerequisites for an air accident," he said in a statement.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The incident comes after Finland's aviation authorities had to order a civilian aircraft to change course last week to avoid a group of Russian military aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea without their transponders on.
In another more serious incident in March, a Russian plane – again without transponders – was said to have come within 100 metres of an SAS plane outside Copenhagen.
The West has accused Russia of increasing its military presence in the area amid tensions over Ukraine, while Russia has accused Nato of upping its air patrols along Russian borders. Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Lithuania have all raised concerns about the situation in the Baltic Sea.
Nato officials indicated in late October that its states had already conducted over 100 intercepts of Russian aircraft this year, three times more than in 2013.
A report by London-based think tank, the European Leadership Network, said there had been a rise in close military encounters between Russia and the West this year, including "violations of national airspace, emergency scrambles, narrowly avoided mid-air collisions, close encounters at sea, simulated attack runs and other dangerous actions happening on a regular basis over a very wide geographical area".
-
Gripping political thrillers to stream now
The Week Recommends From power struggles to deadly conspiracies, these addictive shows are nail-bitingly tense
-
What to know before turning to AI for financial advice
the explainer It can help you crunch the numbers — but it might also pocket your data
-
Book reviews: 'The Headache: The Science of a Most Confounding Affliction—and a Search for Relief' and 'Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run'
Feature The search for a headache cure and revisiting Springsteen's 'Born to Run' album on its 50th anniversary
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month