Three Russian warplanes that violated Estonian airspace have been intercepted by NATO, the military alliance has said.
Estonia's foreign ministry in Tallinn condemned the incursion as "brazen".
It said three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered the airspace of a NATO member "without permission and remained there for a total of 12 minutes" on Friday over the Gulf of Finland.
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said the military alliance "responded immediately and intercepted the Russian aircraft", calling it "yet another example of reckless Russian behavior and NATOs ability to respond".
She gave no further details.
The Russian military has not publicly commented on the issue.
Tensions have escalated between the Nato military alliance and Russia since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
They have risen in the last week, after Poland and Romania - both Nato members - said Russian drones breached their airspace.
Russia responds to Estonia’s airspace violation claim
The Russian Defense Ministry has
denied that its warplanes entered Estonian airspace. Estonia earlier
claimed that three Russian aircraft violated its airspace for 12 minutes
on Friday in what it called an “unprecedented brazen” incursion.
In
a brief statement on Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry said three
MiG-31s were conducting a routine flight from Karelia, east of Finland,
to an airfield in the Kaliningrad region, a Russian exclave bordering
Poland and Lithuania.
The jets flew over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, more than 3 kilometers from Estonia’s Vaindloo island,
“The
flight was carried out in strict accordance with international airspace
regulations and without crossing the borders of other countries,” the ministry added.
Estonia has requested urgent consultations among NATO members, activating Article 4 of the alliance’s treaty.
“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,”
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.
A still photo published by Swedish armed forces that it says shows a Russian mig-31 fighter jet that took part in the violation of Estonian airspace. Swedens military says the image was taken over the Baltic sea after the Russian aircraft left Estonian airspace, still photo released on September 19, 2025. Swedish Armed forces/Handout via REUTERS
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