VILNIUS: Three Russian military jets violated Nato member Estonia’s airspace for 12 minutes on Friday in an “unprecedentedly brazen” incursion, its government said, the latest in a series of recent military actions by Russia that have rattled the alliance.

The incursion came just over a week after more than 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace on the night of Sept 9-10, prompting Nato jets to down some of them and Western officials to say Russia was testing the alliance’s readiness and resolve.

It also occurred three days after Russia and Belarus ended their joint military exercises, which included the rehearsal of the launch of Russian nuclear weapons.

Estonia said the three MiG-31 fighter jets entered its airspace without permission and stayed there for a total of 12 minutes, a period during which the high-speed aircraft could have travelled over broad swaths of the country.

“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.

“Russia’s ever-increasing testing of borders and aggressiveness must be responded to by rapidly strengthening political and economic pressure.”

Russian jets routinely fly over the Baltic Sea between mainland Russia and its exclave of Kaliningrad, where Russia’s Baltic Fleet is based.

Polish guards said that two Russian fighter jets violated the safety zone of the Petrobaltic drilling platform in the Baltic Sea.

“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 NATOs ability to respond,” a spokesperson said on X.

US has little to say

Washington had had little to say about last week’s drone incursion into Poland and did not participate directly in fending it off, triggering deep anxiety among Nato members, who have questioned Trump’s commitment to their defense in case of a Russian attack.

Europeans quickly responded to the Russian jet incident on Friday. “This was no accident,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas - a former Estonian prime minister - said in comments relayed by a spokesperson.

Estonia said it had summoned the top Russian diplomat in the country to lodge a protest and deliver a note.

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said his country had decided to ask NATO to open consultations under Article 4 of the alliance’s treaty, and that the Russian jets flew around 5 nautical miles (9 km) into NATO airspace before Italian F-35s, currently stationed at a base in Estonia, pushed them out.

Article 4 states that members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territory, political independence or security of any of them is threatened.

Ukraine called the incursion a “direct threat to transatlantic security” and said it stands with Estonia. “Russia must face crushing political and economic pressure,” Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said on X.com.

`Not accidents’

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said Russia was testing NATO’s limits. “These are not accidents. The Alliance is being tested militarily. We must sharpen Nato’s posture to the point where no one dares to test our deterrence,” Budrys said on X.

The defence minister of neighbouring Latvia, Andris Spruds, condemned Russia’s incursion, which he said underscored the need to strengthen the defence of the eastern flank. “Airspace protection in the Baltics must be further reinforced through NATO’s air defence mission,” Spruds said in a post on social media platform X.

In New York, Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said he wasn’t aware of the incident, but added: “I do not trust what Estonia is saying about Russia.” When told about the accusation by Estonia that Russia had flown jets into its airspace, Nebenzia said: “How tragic.”

No flight plans

Estonian defence forces said the airspace violation occurred on Friday morning in the area of Vaindloo Island, around 100 kilometres 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 said.

The official noted that it was difficult to see a situation where that many Russian aircraft did not know they were in Estonian airspace for that long, but added that a deeper assessment was ongoing.

Jakub M. Godzimirski, a research professor in Russian security policy at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, told Reuters that the incident could be a test, but could also be purely coincidental.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2025