Russia violates Finland’s airspace as Helsinki mulls Nato bid

An ‘Mi-17 helicopter’ was involved in the incident, which took place less than a month after an incursion by a Russian army transport aircraft in April

Finland and Sweden are considering applying to join the Atlantic defence alliance, a move that experts warn will prompt Russian acts of interference

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A Russian Mi-17 helicopter supports a joint Russian-Turkish patrol near the Syrian town of al-Jawadiyah in December 2020. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:07am, 5 May 2022Updated: 1:23am, 5 May 2022

A Russian army helicopter violated Finland’s airspace on Wednesday, the defence ministry said, as the country mulls a potential Nato membership bid that it hopes would be speedy.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Wednesday that should Helsinki apply, alone or together with neighbouring Sweden, she hoped the application process would be completed as quickly as possible.

Helsinki is holding talks with key members of the alliance to obtain security guarantees during the application period, which could last several months, Marin told a joint press conference with Nordic leaders in Copenhagen.

Meanwhile, UK Defence Minister Ben Wallace, who was visiting Finland on Wednesday, pledged the UK’s support in the event of an attack on the Nordic country.

(From right) Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin attends a joint news conference with Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Copenhagen, Denmark on Wednesday. Photo: Ritzau Scanpix via Reuters

“I cannot conceive a time that we wouldn’t come to support Finland and Sweden, no matter where they were with the Nato debate or where they are with the agreements and I think that is what really binds us,” Wallace told journalists.