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Estonia has requested consultations with fellow NATO members following a reported airspace violation by Russian military aircraft on Friday.
The Estonian Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the incursion as a “brazen” act. According to the ministry, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace “without authorization, remaining for a total of 12 minutes” over the Gulf of Finland.
A NATO spokesperson confirmed that the alliance “responded immediately and intercepted the Russian aircraft,” characterizing the incident as “yet another example of reckless Russian behavior and NATO’s ability to respond.”
As part of NATO’s mission to reinforce its eastern flank, Italy, Finland, and Sweden deployed jets. Russia has since denied violating Estonian airspace.
The Russian Defence Ministry stated that the aircraft were conducting a “scheduled flight… in strict compliance with international airspace regulations and did not violate the borders of other states, as confirmed by objective monitoring.”
The ministry asserted that the jets flew over neutral Baltic waters, maintaining a distance of over 3km (two miles) from Vaindloo Island, which is Estonian territory.
Tensions between NATO and Russia have been on the rise since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The past week has seen further escalation, with Poland and Romania, both NATO members, reporting Russian drone incursions into their airspace. NATO has responded by pledging to move military assets, including fighter jets, eastward to strengthen its defenses.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal announced on Friday that his government, during an urgent meeting, had “decided to request NATO Article 4 consultations.”
“NATO’s response to any provocation must be united and strong. We consider it essential to consult with our allies to ensure shared situational awareness and to agree on our next joint steps,” stated Michal.
Article 4 of the NATO treaty formally initiates urgent consultations within the 32-member alliance, which provides a framework for collective defense between the US and numerous European nations.
This marks the second instance in a week where a NATO member has invoked Article 4, with Poland having previously done so following Russian drone incursions.
US President Donald Trump informed reporters that he would be briefed on the incident later on Friday.
He commented, “I don’t love it. I don’t like when that happens. Could be big trouble. But I’ll let you know later.”
Earlier, Estonia’s Foreign Ministry announced it had summoned the Russian chargé d’affaires “to lodge a protest” regarding Friday’s incursion, while top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas described the incident as “an extremely dangerous provocation.”
The minister added that Russia had already violated Estonian airspace on four occasions in 2025. Estonia shares a border with Russia to the east.
Estonia reported that the aircraft entered its airspace from the northeast and were initially intercepted by Finnish jets over the Gulf of Finland. Once inside Estonian airspace, Italian F-35 jets, stationed in Estonia as part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, were deployed to escort the aircraft out.
According to the Estonian government, the Russian jets lacked flight plans, had their transponders deactivated, and did not establish two-way radio communication with Estonian air traffic control.
Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur told the BBC: “It is unprecedented that for 12 minutes the Russians were in our airspace.”
He further stated that “in this situation, the only right thing to do is to push them out of Estonian airspace.”
Prime Minister Michal also asserted that the Russian incursion demonstrated that its war of aggression in Ukraine was not progressing as the Kremlin had anticipated.
“The aim is to draw attention and assistance away from Ukraine by forcing Nato countries to focus more on the defence of their own territories,” he added.
In a post on X, Kallas stated that the EU “will continue to support our member states in strengthening their defences with European resources”.
She characterized Russian President Vladimir Putin as “testing the West’s resolve. We must not show weakness”.
Echoing her sentiments, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted on X: “We will respond to every provocation with determination while investing in a stronger Eastern flank.”
“As threats escalate, so too will our pressure,” she added.
Estonia’s ambassador to the UK, Sven Sakkov, told the BBC that “clear, practical steps” to enhance airspace protection over NATO’s eastern flank were essential in light of Friday’s incident.
“If we had to face such times as we are living in now alone, we would be extremely concerned,” he said, adding that Estonians nonetheless felt “determined” to defend themselves.
Last week, Poland’s military reported shooting down at least three Russian drones, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk stating that 19 drones were recorded entering Polish airspace.
Russia maintained that the incident was unintentional, with its Defence Ministry stating that there were “no plans” to target facilities on Polish soil.
Belarus, a close Russian ally, suggested that the drones entered Polish airspace accidentally due to jamming of their navigation systems.
Several days later, Romania’s Defence Ministry reported detecting a Russian drone while two F-16 jets were monitoring the country’s border with Ukraine, following “Russian air attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure on the Danube [river].”
The ministry reported that the drone subsequently disappeared from radar.
Russia has not issued any comments on the matter.
In response to Russia’s incursions into Poland and Romania, NATO has pledged to redeploy troops and fighter jets eastward.
Aircraft from the UK, France, Germany, and Denmark are participating in air defense missions over Poland to reinforce the alliance’s eastern flank.
Pevkur emphasized that NATO needed to “put more focus on the eastern flank,” describing it as “our joint response line in a way, that here in Estonia we keep the front door closed.”
On Monday, a French jet was scrambled in response to another potential incursion by Russian drones. NATO reported that the alert was quickly resolved.
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