Russian Su-24 violates Norwegian airspace near Vardø

On 25 April 2025, a Russian Su-24 combat aircraft crossed briefly into Norwegian sovereign airspace over the sea northeast of Vardø, in eastern Finnmark close to the Russian border, remaining inside Norwegian airspace for roughly four minutes before exiting. According to the Norwegian government, this was the first of three Russian airspace violations recorded during 2025, ending a period of about ten years without such incidents. The other two occurred on 24 July (a Russian L-410 transport aircraft over land in eastern Finnmark) and 18 August (a Russian Su-33 again northeast of Vardø).

The incidents were disclosed publicly on 23 September 2025, when Norway aligned itself with a North Atlantic Council statement condemning Russian airspace violations against NATO members. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Norway could not determine whether the incursions were deliberate or the result of navigational error, but called them unacceptable and said this had been made clear to Russian authorities, who were asked to explain. Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said the matter was raised directly with Moscow to reduce the risk of misunderstandings and escalation. Norwegian officials characterised the Vardø incursion as less serious than violations against Estonia, Poland and Romania in terms of location and duration. Vardø hosts the Globus radar installation of strategic intelligence value, though Norwegian statements did not explicitly link this incident to the radar.

The incursion fits a broader pattern of Russian probing of NATO airspace along the alliance's eastern and northern flanks during 2025. Its brevity (about four minutes) and maritime location point to a limited, deniable incursion rather than a major penetration, and Norway itself could not confirm intent. The proximity to Vardø, home to the Globus radar, gives the location strategic salience for signalling and intelligence collection, though no source directly attributed the flight to a radar-related mission. Attribution to Russia is straightforward, being an overt military aircraft acknowledged through Norway's formal protest; Russia disputed that any violation occurred.