Finnish and Swedish fighter jets scrambled for the first time on Sept. 24 to intercept supersonic Russian military aircraft flying over the Gulf of Finland, marking a major milestone in Nordic defense cooperation amid heightened tensions with Moscow.

The mission also came one day before Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed European warnings about the threat from Moscow in the region and mocked Estonia’s new defense minister over the Baltic state’s preparations for a potential Russian attack.

Finnish F/A-18 Hornets and Swedish JAS 39 Gripens were scrambled after Russian aircraft were detected in the international airspace, according to the Swedish Armed Forces.

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The Russian formation included a Tu-134 transport plane, a high-altitude, supersonic MiG-31 interceptors designed to detect and engage long-range threats; and Su-30 multirole fighter jets which are designed for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat.

«This is what close cooperation looks like in practice,» Maj. Gen. Jonas Wikman, commander of the Swedish Air Force, said in a statement following the joint operation.

«Built over years on trust and strong personal relationships, we can now operate seamlessly together — as air forces, as nations and as Allies.»

Concern over Russian military activity along NATO’s eastern flank has grown following a string of airspace violations.

These include Russian drones entering Polish airspace, a Mi-8 helicopter crossing from Kaliningrad into Poland, drones crashing in Romania and Moldova, and armed Russian jets entering Estonian airspace before being intercepted by NATO aircraft on Sept. 18.

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The Russian formation included Su-30 multirole fighter jets designed for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat. (Sergey Mihailicenko/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images))

In Estonia, Defense Minister Martin Herem warned that Russia could be capable of using military force against Estonia within a year and argued that Tallinn must determine whether its defenses are sufficient for such a scenario.

Prime Minister Kristen Michal stated that the government is ready to shut down border crossing points on short notice if threat assessments change, according to reports.

Speaking at the St. Petersburg International United Cultures Forum on Friday, Putin pushed back against such warnings.

«Many people in Europe say they expect an attack from Russia and therefore claim they must prepare for war with Russia,» Putin said.

«I want to emphasize once again: we are not preparing for military action against Europe. We have no such plans, no basis for them, and, most importantly, no real motive to escalate the situation with Europe.»

Putin then mocked Herem’s warnings: «As we jokingly say in Russia: ‘The circus has left, but the clowns remain.’ It is political clowning. … Clearly, these statements are complete nonsense and absurdity,» Putin said, according to EurAsia Daily.

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Putin spoke at the St. Petersburg International United Cultures Forum and downplayed comments made by Estonian Defense Minister Martin Herem, who warned that Russia could be capable of using military force against Estonia. (Alexander KAZAKOV / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Estonia sits across the Gulf of Finland from Finland, with the three countries forming part of NATO’s increasingly integrated northern and eastern defenses amid concerns about Russian military activity.

Finland formally joined NATO as its 31st member in April 2023, roughly doubling the alliance’s land border with Russia. Sweden followed as the 32nd member in March 2024. Estonia, which regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, has been a NATO member since 2004.

The Baltic Sea region has also remained on heightened alert following incidents involving gas pipelines, sabotage and hybrid threats since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Reuters has reported.

NATO said in June that it was enhancing protection of its eastern members in the cyber and space domains while helping countries build resilience against what it describes as hostile Russian actions, including cyberattacks, sabotage and airspace violations.

NATO says its military activities along the eastern flank are entirely defensive and that it is «ready, willing and able to defend every Ally.»

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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during the launch of the NATO Secretary General’s Annual Report for 2025 at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (Virginia Mayo/AP Photo)

The alliance has said an attack against any member would be met with a «resounding response.»

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently underscored Washington’s role in the alliance during a visit to Iowa, telling The Associated Press that Putin «knows that the United States and Europe are totally intertwined.»

«We have to make sure that we are prepared, we are strong, and he knows it,» Rutte said.

«And if he does anything silly, he knows our reaction will be tough,» he warned.

European intelligence officials said Sept. 24 that Russia could test NATO’s defenses.

Denmark’s Defense Intelligence Service assessed the risk of a limited Russian military attack against a NATO country in the coming months as «low but growing» and said Moscow is expected to intensify its hybrid campaign against NATO and the West.

The service said in a statement that a full-scale Russian invasion of a NATO member remains highly unlikely but can no longer be ruled out.

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 800-273-TALK (8255).

Pope Leo XIV called for an end to medically assisted suicide during a visit to medical facilities in Lourdes, France, on Sunday.

The pope gave Mass in Lourdes before addressing a large crowd who cheered as he emphatically affirmed the dignity of all human lives and admonished listeners to reject the «false compassion» of assisted suicide.

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«It is precisely in the name of this inalienable dignity of the human person that we must reject the temptation to cause death under the guise of false compassion,» the pope said, speaking in French.

«It is impossible to regard causing death as something normal. What is legal is not necessarily moral,» he continued. «Here in Lourdes, the city of the sick and of hope, I appeal to the entire healthcare community to remember the profound meaning of your vocation, which is to care for a suffering person, not to eliminate that person.»

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«No one ever has the right based on laboratory algorithms to decide the life of a given embryo or elderly person. Medicine must never become the servant of programmed death,» he said.

Assisted suicide is legal in many Western countries, including France.

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Pope Leo XIV is set to visit Lourdes as part of his visit to France. ( )

The practice has come under heavy criticism, particularly in Canada where it has seen widespread use.

Last week, the family of an 83-year-old Canadian woman demanded answers after she died through the country’s medical assistance in dying program despite allegedly becoming distraught when told the procedure would end her life.

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The Daily Mail reported that 83-year-old Christian grandmother Brigitte Stegemann was killed under Canada’s physician-assisted suicide program, called Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), on July 10.

Brigitte Kranendonk sits with her grandmother Brigitte Stegemann. ( )

Her granddaughter, Brigitte Kranendonk, said that she was her grandmother’s primary caregiver and that her family had decided to place Stegemann at The Pearl care home in Cannifton due to physical and mental decline.

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But according to Kranendonk, her grandmother still had a good appetite even following a stomach cancer diagnosis, and rejected the idea of using MAID when it was presented as an option.

Kranendonk said she was present for Stegemann’s second MAID assessment, and said that the doctor used «really loose terms, never using the words death or dying.»

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«She explains MAID to my grandmother by saying: ‘We’re going to give you medicine, you’re going to feel at peace. And I just want you to know that you won’t have a bowel movement,’» Kranendonk said.

When Kranendonk interjected and said, «She doesn’t understand what you’re saying,» the doctor allegedly looked at Stegemann and said, «We’re going to make sure you won’t have any more pain.»

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According to a doctor, Stegemann was «deemed fit for MAID, and we’re going to proceed,» The Daily Mail reported.

Kranendonk said that two days before Stegemann’s death, she asked her grandmother directly whether she understood that the scheduled procedure meant she would die.

Disability campaigners from «Distant Voices and Not Dead» hold a demonstration outside Westminster Hall in central London, on April 29, 2024, protesting against proposals to legalise assisted suicide in the UK. (Ben Stansall / AFP via Getty Images)

According to Kranendonk’s account to the outlet, Stegemann began crying and said she had «made a mistake.»

Stegemann was allegedly told by the doctor her grandmother could «deny» MAID on the day of the procedure, but Stegemann was already unsure if her grandmother had actually consented to it, did not want to cause her more stress, and wanted to enjoy what could be the last few days she had left with her grandmother.