Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace without authorization over the Gulf of Finland near the island of Vaindloo and remained there for about 12 minutes.
Estonian Public Broadcaster Err reported the incident, citing the press office of the General Staff of the Estonian Defence Forces, on Friday, September 19.
The jets had no flight plans, their transponders were switched off, and there was no two-way radio contact with Estonia’s air traffic control at the time of the violation.
On Friday, the Estonian Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires in Estonia and handed over a note of protest.
This marks the fourth airspace violation of Estonia’s border by Russian aircraft in 2025.
On September 7, a Mi-8 helicopter also breached the country’s airspace near Vaindloo island.
And on June 22, a Russian Emergencies Ministry Il-76 transport aircraft entered Estonian airspace without permission.
“This year, Russia has violated Estonia’s airspace four times, which is unacceptable in itself, but today’s breach - in which three fighter jets entered our airspace - is unprecedentedly brazen,” Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.
“Today's violation of Estonia's airspace by Russian military aircraft is an extremely dangerous provocation. This marks the third such violation of EU airspace in days and further escalates tensions in the region. I am in close contact with the Estonian government. We will continue to support our member states in strengthening their defences with European resources.Putin is testing the West's resolve. We must not show weakness,” EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas wrote on X.
On the night of September 10, at least 19 Russian unmanned aerial vehicles crossed into Poland, many of them coming from Belarus.
In addition to Polish aircraft, fighters from other NATO countries were deployed to intercept the drones.
Warsaw said Russia had deliberately attacked Poland and requested consultations with NATO allies under Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told the Bundestag the drones were clearly launched to target Polish territory. He said there was no reason to believe this was an error in course correction.
