Russian MiG-31s entered Estonian airspace and approached Tallinn on the afternoon of September 19 before being pushed back by NATO aircraft.
Points of attention
- Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated Estonian airspace near Tallinn, leading to a serious escalation of conflict on NATO's eastern border.
- The violation prompted NATO to scramble Italian F-35s to repel the intruding jets, underscoring the importance of swift and decisive responses to such aggression.
- Estonia condemned the incident, highlighting the need for increased political and economic pressure on Russia in the face of escalating border violations and aggression.
Russian fighter jets flew over Tallinn
Three Russian fighter jets violated Estonian airspace on Friday, leading to a major escalation of the conflict on NATO's eastern border, people familiar with the situation told POLITICO.
According to sources familiar with the situation, the MiG-31 aircraft — a heavy interceptor capable of carrying the Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missile — crossed about five nautical miles of Estonian territory and headed for the capital Tallinn.
The planes circled for about 12 minutes before NATO scrambled Italian F-35s to repel them.
Estonia said it had summoned Russia's temporary charge d'affaires in Tallinn.
"Russia has already violated Estonian airspace four times this year, which in itself is unacceptable, but today's violation, during which three fighter jets entered our airspace, is unprecedentedly brutal," Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.
Estonia believes that the ever-increasing testing of borders and Russian aggression must be responded to with a rapid increase in political and economic pressure.
