WASHINGTON: Three Russian army jets on Friday (Sep 19) violated NATO member Estonia’s airspace for 12 minutes in an “unprecedentedly brazen” incursion, its authorities mentioned.
The incident comes simply over every week after greater than 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace on the night time of Sep 9-10, prompting NATO jets to down a few of them and Western officers to say Russia was testing the alliance’s readiness and resolve.
The airspace violation comes three days after Russian and Belarusian army forces ended joint army workouts, referred to as Zapad 2025.
Tallinn mentioned on Friday the three MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace with out permission and stayed there for a complete of 12 minutes.
“Russia has violated Estonian airspace 4 instances already this 12 months, which is unacceptable in itself, however as we speak’s violation, throughout which three fighter jets entered our airspace, is unprecedentedly brazen,” mentioned International Minister Margus Tsahkna.
“Russia’s ever-increasing testing of borders and aggressiveness should be responded to by quickly strengthening political and financial strain.”
The Russian Defence Ministry didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. Estonia mentioned it had summoned the highest Russian diplomat within the nation to lodge a protest and ship a observe.
Estonian Defence Forces mentioned the airspace violation occurred on Friday morning within the space of Vaindloo Island, round 100km from the capital Tallinn.
The plane didn’t have flight plans, their transponders weren’t switched on and so they weren’t involved with air site visitors management, Estonia mentioned.
Whereas incursions over Vaindloo Island by Russian plane are pretty widespread, they don’t normally final so long as Friday’s incident.
“This may very well be a check by Russia to see how NATO responds to one of these problem, however it is also purely coincidental,” Jakub M Godzimirski, a analysis professor in Russian safety coverage on the Norwegian Institute of Worldwide Affairs, advised Reuters.
“Nonetheless, this occurs in a given context, having in thoughts what occurred with the drone incursion in Poland a number of days in the past.”
A staunch supporter of Ukraine, Tallinn mentioned in Could that Moscow had briefly despatched a fighter jet into NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea throughout an try to cease a Russian-bound oil tanker regarded as a part of a “shadow fleet” defying Western sanctions on Moscow.
