Eight military jets from Russia flew without permission over the south and south-western coast of Iceland on Thursday. The jets had the ability to carry far-reaching bombs.
Officials in Iceland have received no notification of the Russian aerial manoeuvres. The director of Iceland’s Foreign Ministry, Gretar Mar Sigurdsson, told reporters; “I will ask the Russian ambassador in Reykjavik for an explanation.”
He continued, “What worries us most is that by not notifying us of their presence, the jets could jeopardize general aviation safety.”
Although jets from Russia have not been seen in Icelandic skies since the end of the Cold War, this is the second such occurrence this month. The last incident occurred on August 17th, when three jets circled the country. Iceland did not receive prior notification of the Russian actions at that time and Foreign Ministry officials are still waiting for an explanation from the Russian embassy.
The Russian jets stayed at least 120 nautical miles from Icelandic airspace at all times.
“For now it is just a question of communication and trying to find a solution that does not put anyone in danger,” Sigurdsson said.
Sigurdsson pointed out how the incident highlighted Iceland’s security. Due to its good relationship with neighbouring countries, others were monitoring the jets as well. “We benefited from cooperating with our neighbours,” Sigurdsson said. “Both Norway and Britain were monitoring the jets….too.”
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