NATO scramble fighter jets to intercept two Russian aircraft near Finnish border amid tension over bloc bid

NATO has scrambled jets to intercept two Russian aircraft near the Finnish border with Norway amid heightened tensions in the region.

The Norwegian Air Force intercepted a Mikoyan MiG-31 'Foxhound' and a Sukhoi Su-24 'Fencer' jet near their airspace on Thursday.

Tensions between Russia and the Nordic countries have skyrocketed since Finland and Sweden enraged Vladimir Putin by requesting to join NATO on May 18 - almost doubling Russia's border with their feared nemeses overnight.

The Russian warplanes were intercepted by two NATO F-35 jets over the Norwegian Sea before retreating east, the air force said.

The jets were observed outside Finnmark, in Norway's far north, but were never in official Norwegian airspace.

Stine Barclay Gaasland, comms manager in the Norwegian Air Force, said two F35s are always on standby, in what's called the Quick Reaction Alert for NATO.

"In 15 minutes they must be in the air and be ready at all times. It is 24 hours a day, 365 days a year," Gaasland told Norway's TV 2 Nyhetene.

Trespassing into Norwegian airspace could have provoked a "more aggressive action", Gaasland said.

Asked if the incursions were a threat to Norway, she said: "I do not want to say that, because we are used to it happening, and there is nothing illegal in it.

"We pay close attention to all activity in our local areas."

Some 58 similar identifications prompted 34 scrambled last year, Norway's Armed Forces said.

Sweden and Finland will be attending a NATO summit in Madrid on June 28-30 to firm up their bid to join the historical military alliance.

The Nordic countries submitted their application together and said they were spurred on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24.