File Photo – Lehtikuva.
Finland will be operating an observation flight over Russia this week through the Open Skies programme, said the Defence Forces. A Swedish Airforce Saab 340B is being used for the observation flight.
The Finnish monitoring group is composed of seven persons as well as a Latvian monitor. The airplane has a Swedish crew of six.
The Open Skies Agreement is part of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) arms control programme. The signatory countries are allowed unarmed surveillance and observation flights of each other's' air spaces.
According to the Ministry of Defence, Finland strives each year to perform at least two observational flights over other countries. There are five flights made over Finland each year.
