NATO member Estonia says three Russian jets violated its airspace
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WASHINGTON: Three Russian military jets on Friday (Sep 19) violated NATO member Estonia's airspace for 12 minutes in an "unprecedentedly brazen" incursion, its government said, amid rising tensions on the alliance's eastern flank.
The incident comes just over a week after more than 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace on the night of Sep 9-10, prompting NATO jets to down some of them and Western officials to say Russia was testing the alliance's readiness and resolve.
The airspace violation comes three days after Russian and Belarusian military forces ended joint military exercises, called Zapad 2025.
Tallinn said on Friday the three MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace without permission and stayed there for a total of 12 minutes.
"Russia has violated Estonian airspace four times already this year, which is unacceptable in itself, but today's violation, during which three fighter jets entered our airspace, is unprecedentedly brazen," said Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
The Russian Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Its jets routinely fly over the Baltic Sea between mainland Russia and the exclave of Kaliningrad, where Russia's Baltic Fleet is based.
"Earlier today, Russian jets violated Estonian airspace. NATO responded immediately and intercepted the Russian aircraft. This is yet another example of reckless Russian behaviour and NATO’s ability to respond," a NATO spokesperson said on X.
"This was no accident," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in comments relayed by a spokesperson.
The Russian Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Estonia said it had summoned the top Russian diplomat in the country to lodge a protest and deliver a note.
A European source said Estonia was considering asking NATO to open consultations under Article 4 of the alliance's treaty, adding that the Russian jets flew around 5 nautical miles (9km) into NATO airspace before Italian F-35s pushed them out.
Article 4 states that NATO members will consult whenever the territory, political independence or security of any of them is threatened.
Estonian Defence Forces said the airspace violation occurred on Friday morning in the area of Vaindloo Island, around 100km from the capital Tallinn.
The aircraft did not have flight plans, their transponders were not switched on and they were not in contact with air traffic control, Estonia said.
While incursions over Vaindloo Island by Russian aircraft are fairly common, they do not usually last as long as Friday's incident.
"It's tough to see how this wasn't intentional," a US official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. The official said it was unlikely that so many Russian aircraft would be unaware they had entered Estonian airspace for that length of time, though a deeper assessment was still under way.
"This could be a test by Russia to see how NATO responds to this type of challenge, but it could also be purely coincidental," Jakub M Godzimirski, a research professor in Russian security policy at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, told Reuters.
"Still, this happens in a given context, having in mind what happened with the drone incursion in Poland a few days ago."
A staunch supporter of Ukraine, Tallinn said in May that Moscow had briefly sent a fighter jet into NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea during an attempt to stop a Russian-bound oil tanker thought to be part of a "shadow fleet" defying Western sanctions on Moscow.
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