Estonia has accused Russia of violating its airspace, claiming three supersonic Russian fighter jets entered its airspace in an “unprecedented and brazen” incursion.
The claim on Friday prompted immediate condemnation from NATO and European countries, who called it a “reckless” and “dangerous provocation”, but the Russian Ministry of Defence denied the allegation.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said the three MiG-31s entered Estonian airspace “over the Gulf of Finland” in the north for 12 minutes, adding that he had summoned the charge d’affaires at the Russian embassy over the violation.
“This is an unprecedented and brazen intrusion – clear proof of Russia’s growing aggression,” said Tsahkna on X, saying that the action should be met with “swift political and economic pressure”.
The Estonian military issued a statement saying that Italian air force fighter jets participating in the NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission stationed at the Amari airbase responded to the incident.
The three Russian fighter jets had entered national airspace in the area of Vaindloo Island, located in the Gulf of Finland, the military said, claiming that it was the fourth Russian incursion this year.
The Russian jets did not have flight plans, and their transponders were switched off, it said.
There was no two-way radio communication with Estonian air traffic control.
This morning, 3 Russian Mig-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace.
NATO fighters responded and the Russian planes were forced to flee.
Such violation is totally unacceptable. The Government of Estonia has decided to request NATO Article 4 consultations.
— Kristen Michal (@KristenMichalPM) September 19, 2025
In response, Russia’s Defence Ministry said the MiGs were on a “scheduled flight” from Karelia, on the border with Finland, to an airfield in its Kaliningrad exclave, which is surrounded by Lithuania and Poland.
“During the flight, the Russian aircraft did not deviate from the agreed-upon route and did not violate Estonian airspace,” a statement read, adding that the flight was over “neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, more than three kilometres from the island of Vaindloo”.
‘Reckless behaviour’
Estonia’s Prime Minister Kristen Michal has meanwhile requested urgent “NATO Article 4 consultations” on the “totally unacceptable” incursion.
Under Article 4 of the NATO treaty, any member can convene urgent talks if they believe their territorial integrity, political independence or security is at risk.
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said the alliance had scrambled aircraft to intercept the Russian jets, accusing Moscow of “reckless behaviour”.
The incident, she said, had shown NATO’s “ability to respond”.
United States President Donald Trump said late on Friday afternoon he had not been briefed on the incident but expected he would be later.
“I don’t love it. I don’t like when that happens,” Trump told reporters when asked if he saw the incursion by Russian jets as a threat to NATO.
“Could be big trouble. I’ll let you know later,” he added.
Ukraine’s European neighbours have been on high alert since 20 Russian drones entered Poland’s airspace just more than a week ago. The drones, which were not carrying ammunition, were shot down by Polish and other NATO aircraft.
The incident marked the most serious cross-border incursion into a NATO member country since the war in Ukraine began with Russia’s all-out invasion in February 2022. Other alliance countries have reported similar incursions and drone crashes on their territory.
On Sunday, Romania’s Ministry of National Defence said it detected a Russian drone in its airspace, scrambling fighter jets as a precaution.
Following Estonia’s claim on Friday, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said that Russia’s third violation of EU airspace was “an extremely dangerous provocation” that “further escalates tensions in the region”.
Kallas, who served as Estonian prime minister before becoming the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy last year, said the bloc stood in “full solidarity” with Estonia.
European Council President Antonio Costa said on X that the bloc would discuss its “collective response” to Russia’s actions at an informal European Council meeting in Copenhagen on October 1.
The European Union stands firmly in solidarity with 🇪🇪.
Today's violation of Estonian airspace by three Russian military aircraft is another unacceptable provocation.
It underscores yet again the urgent need to reinforce our Eastern flank, deepen European defence cooperation,…
— António Costa (@eucopresident) September 19, 2025
Calls for strong action
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose country is at war with Russia, accused Russia of deliberately expanding its “destabilising activity” with the series of airspace violations in Poland, Romania and Estonia.
“Strong action is needed, both jointly and from individual countries,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram.
Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene, meanwhile, said NATO should urgently move air defence capabilities to front-line states.
“We are being tested, our citizens are being threatened almost every day now. This means that we need to have capabilities collected from our allies [to be placed] by our borders, because that’s the border of NATO,” she told the Reuters news agency.
Marko Mihkelson, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Estonia’s Parliament, told Al Jazeera that the intrusion came as Russia continues to wage war “in the middle of Europe”.
“We have to understand that this massive, full-scale war which is going on in Europe, in the middle of Europe, launched by Russia in 2022, in an end to to destroy Ukraine, but also to destroy NATO,” Mihkelson said.
Mihkelson added that in the last several weeks, Russia has intensified military activity in Ukraine alongside incursions in the airspace of Poland, Romania and now this “very serious violation” of Estonia’s “sovereign airspace”.
He said it is important for Estonia and its Baltic neighbours to “increase deterrence measures” in order to make it clear “we will not tolerate” similar “violations in the future.”
Additional reporting by Lyndal Rowlands.
