Sweden to deploy Gripen jets to patrol Finland's border with Russia

Sweden has agreed to send military forces to Finland, including JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets, to patrol areas along Finland's border with Russia, according to Swedish public broadcaster SVT. The report said Finland's government had requested the support and that Stockholm had approved it.

Details of the operation remain unconfirmed. SVT's account relied on unnamed sources, and neither country's defense minister disclosed how many aircraft or ships would be involved, where they would be based, when the deployment would begin, or how long it would last.

Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said the move reflected a shared commitment between the two countries to deterrence and defense in the Baltic region and along NATO's eastern flank. Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said the operation would be coordinated with NATO and would build on existing air and maritime cooperation between the two nations.

According to SVT, Gripen jets and Swedish naval vessels are expected to arrive in Finland soon to patrol border areas seen as at risk. Swedish Army counter-drone units could also be sent later in the year if needed.

The deployment would proceed under a 2020 Swedish law governing operational military support to Finland. The law allows Stockholm to send forces at Finland's request to help prevent violations of Finnish territory, as long as Sweden itself is not at war and no armed conflict is underway on Finnish territory. It also lets the government act without a separate parliamentary vote.

Swedish Gripens have previously flown NATO-related missions from Malbork Air Base in Poland in 2025 and from Keflavik in Iceland earlier in 2026.