In a significant escalation of regional tensions, three Russian fighter jets recently breached Estonia’s national airspace for an extended period of 12 minutes. This audacious act, described by Estonia’s foreign minister as an “unprecedentedly brazen” intrusion into a NATO member state, immediately triggered a response from the military alliance.
NATO confirmed that its forces were dispatched to intercept the Russian aircraft. Allison Hart, a spokesperson for the alliance, highlighted the incident as “yet another example of reckless Russian behavior,” underscoring NATO’s capability to react decisively to such provocations.
This latest event follows a period of heightened alert, just ten days after at least 21 Russian drones were detected flying in Polish airspace. That incident prompted NATO to scramble fighter jets to neutralize some of the unmanned aerial vehicles. Polish officials interpreted the drone incursion as a deliberate test of the alliance’s readiness and a dangerous escalation amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
While Russia has previously encroached upon Estonian airspace and that of other Baltic nations, these incidents typically lasted only for very brief moments. However, the recent, prolonged incursion by three advanced MIG-31 fighter jets marks a concerning departure from previous patterns, as noted by Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
“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,” Tsahkna stated, also sharing his concerns on X (formerly Twitter). He emphasized that this event serves as “clear proof of Russia’s growing aggression.”
Tsahkna urged NATO members to intensify their pressure on Moscow. He asserted that “Russia’s ever-increasing testing of borders and aggressiveness must be responded to by rapidly strengthening political and economic pressure.” Following the incident, Estonia formally summoned the Russian chargé d’affaires to lodge a protest.
In the aftermath of the Polish drone incursion, Russia claimed the drones were targeting Ukraine and denied any intentional violation of Polish territory. However, Polish officials remained unconvinced, citing evidence that all 21 drones were launched from a different location than those genuinely aimed at Ukraine, suggesting a deliberate provocation.
Responding to the incident over Poland, NATO unveiled a new air patrol initiative called Eastern Sentry. This operation is designed to mirror the Baltic Sentry program, which was established in January following acts of sabotage and involved enhanced ship patrols, surveillance jets, and drones over the Baltic Sea.
NATO officials indicated that Eastern Sentry would integrate increased air patrols, ground-based interceptor systems, advanced sensors, and heightened surveillance. While initially focused on Poland, the operation has the flexibility to be deployed across other vulnerable areas in the region.
“Russia’s recklessness in the air along our eastern flank is increasing in frequency,” stated NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte last Friday, referencing recent adversarial drone violations in the airspace of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania.
Historically, since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russian aircraft have intruded into Estonian airspace up to 40 times. However, the frequency of these incidents had notably decreased since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, making this latest breach particularly alarming.
Separately, the European Union took action by proposing to accelerate a ban on Russian gas imports by a year. This measure is part of a broader package of sanctions aimed at curtailing Moscow’s financial resources for the war in Ukraine. The proposed sanctions also target companies, banks, and traders in third-party countries like China and India suspected of aiding Russia in evading existing sanctions.
The successful implementation of this proposal requires approval from all 27 member states, which may face challenges due to some countries, notably Hungary, relying heavily on Russian gas. Although Europe has significantly reduced its reliance on Russian pipeline gas, the ultimate goal is to completely phase out purchases of Russian liquefied natural gas by January 2027. This strategy comes amid past criticism from figures like former President Trump regarding European nations’ continued energy purchases from Russia.