On Friday, three Russian fighter jets openly breached Estonian airspace, a NATO member nation, for an unusually extended period of about 12 minutes. Estonia’s foreign minister condemned this as an “unprecedentedly brazen” act.
NATO promptly responded by deploying forces to intercept the Russian jets, as stated by Allison Hart, the military alliance’s spokeswoman. She highlighted that this incident serves as “yet another example of reckless Russian behavior and NATO’s ability to respond.”
This event occurred amidst already heightened tensions, following an incident 10 days prior where at least 21 Russian drones entered Polish airspace. That previous incursion led NATO to scramble fighter jets to down some of the drones and was seen by Polish officials as a deliberate test of the alliance’s readiness and a dangerous escalation in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
While Russia has frequently intruded into Estonian airspace, often for very brief moments, Friday’s sustained incursion by three MIG-31 fighters marked a notable and more prolonged violation, according to Estonia’s foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna.
The Estonian government reported that the Russian jets failed to file flight plans, had their transponders switched off, and did not establish radio communication with Estonian air traffic control. Finnish jets initially intercepted the Russian aircraft over the Gulf of Finland. Once they entered Estonian airspace, Italian F-35s, operating under the Baltic Sentry mission, took over and escorted the Russian planes out.
“Russia has already violated Estonian airspace four times this year, which is unacceptable in itself, but today’s violation, involving three fighter jets, is unprecedentedly brazen,” Mr. Tsahkna declared in a statement. He emphasized that this act provides “clear proof of Russia’s growing aggression.”
Mr. Tsahkna urged NATO members to exert more pressure on Moscow, stating, “Russia’s ever-increasing testing of borders and aggressiveness must be responded to by rapidly strengthening political and economic pressure.” Estonia has since summoned the Russian chargé d’affaires to formally protest these flights.
Estonia’s prime minister, Kristen Michal, announced his intention to seek urgent discussions with NATO allies. Mr. Michal invoked Article 4 of the alliance’s charter, which permits a member state to initiate formal consultations regarding threats to its security, by stating, “The Government of Estonia has decided to request NATO Article 4 consultations.”
The Russian intrusion coincided with an international gathering of business leaders in Narva, Estonia, right on the border with Russia. They were there for the inauguration of a significant new factory dedicated to producing rare earth magnets, a critical component for numerous industries and increasingly viewed as a matter of national security in Western countries.
Following the drone incident over Poland last week, Russia denied any intent to violate Polish airspace, claiming the drones were destined for Ukraine. However, Polish officials remained convinced the action was deliberate, noting that all 21 drones were launched from a different location compared to other Russian drones targeting Ukraine.
In response to the Polish incident, NATO announced a new air patrol operation, Eastern Sentry, last Friday. This mission, loosely based on Baltic Sentry, aims to bolster air defenses along the eastern flank. Baltic Sentry itself had been expanded in January to include ship patrols and enhanced surveillance via jets and drones over the Baltic Sea after a series of sabotage acts.
NATO officials confirmed that Eastern Sentry would mobilize and integrate increased air patrols, ground-based interceptor systems, sensors, and heightened surveillance. While initially focused on Poland, the operation can be relocated to other parts of the region as needed.
“Russia’s recklessness in the air along our eastern flank is increasing in frequency,” said NATO’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, last Friday. He noted recent adversarial drone violations in the airspace of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania.
Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russian aircraft have intruded into Estonian airspace up to 40 times. However, the frequency had significantly decreased since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, making this latest incident particularly notable.
Separately, the European Union took action on Friday, proposing to accelerate a ban on Russian gas imports by a year as part of a new sanctions package. These measures aim to curb Moscow’s ability to fund the war in Ukraine. The proposed sanctions also target companies, banks, and traders in third-party countries like China and India, accused of assisting Russia in circumventing existing sanctions.
The proposal requires approval from all 27 member states, which may present challenges due to Hungary’s reliance on Russian gas. While Europe has already drastically reduced its pipeline gas purchases from Russia, the goal is to fully phase out Russian liquefied natural gas purchases by January 2027. Former President Trump recently criticized European nations for continuing to purchase any energy from Russia.