Estonia Invokes NATO Consultation After Russia Breaches Airspace

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Estonia triggered consultations with its NATO military partners after saying three Russian fighter jets violated its airspace on Friday in an“unprecedentedly brazen” way.

The breach would be Russia's fourth incursion into Estonia this year and the third airspace violation in a North Atlantic Treaty Organization member this month, following incidents in Poland and Romania.

A spokesman for the alliance's military command said NATO scrambled Italian F-35 fighter jets based in Estonia, joined by Swedish and Finnish quick-reaction aircraft, in response to Russia's airspace violation.

“This is not the type of behavior one would expect from a professional air force,” Colonel Martin O'Donnell said in a statement.

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal called the violation“totally unacceptable” and said Estonia invoked Article Four of NATO's treaty, which triggers consultations and can open a path to coordinated action among allies.

“NATO fighters responded and the Russian planes were forced to flee,” he said in a post on X.

NATO's eastern flank is on high alert after the alliance took the unprecedented step of shooting down Russian drones that entered Polish airspace this month, the first such move since Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. NATO reinforced the border by deploying additional air defenses and military jets. Poland sought a NATO consultation after that incident on Sept. 10.

Estonia's government summoned the Russian charge d'affaires earlier Friday after reports of the incursion surfaced. Kaja Kallas, the European Union's foreign affairs chief and a former Estonian prime minister, called the incident“an extremely dangerous provocation” on X.

The MiGs entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland without permission for a total of 12 minutes in an“unprecedentedly brazen” incursion, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said in a statement.

“Russia's increasingly extensive testing of boundaries and growing aggressiveness must be met with a swift increase in political and economic pressure,” he said.

NATO has reinforced its eastern borders by deploying additional air defense systems and military jets in an operation named Eastern Sentry.

“As we have stated previously, Eastern Sentry integrates air and ground-based defenses and better connects existing activities like air policing into a more coherent defensive posture,” O'Donnell said.“That was on display today.”

Russia recently concluded its latest installment of war games with Belarus, known as Zapad - the first drills since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In Poland, the Border Guard also reported“provocative behavior” by Russia's air force on Friday, saying two Russian jets flew low near an Orlen SA oil platform in the Baltic Sea.

With assistance from Andrea Palasciano, Piotr Skolimowski and Patrick Donahue.

©2025 Bloomberg L.P.

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