Estonia invokes NATO consultations after Russian fighter jets breach its airspace

 

Estonia has called for urgent consultations with NATO allies after reporting that three Russian fighter jets entered its airspace on Friday in what officials described as an “unprecedentedly brazen” act.

 

According to Tallinn, the incident marked the fourth time this year that Russian aircraft have crossed into Estonian territory, and the third airspace violation in a NATO member state this month, following similar breaches in Poland and Romania.

 

NATO confirmed that Italian F-35s stationed in Estonia were scrambled to intercept the Russian aircraft, supported by Swedish and Finnish quick-reaction fighters. “This is not the type of behavior one would expect from a professional air force,” Colonel Martin O’Donnell, spokesman for the alliance’s military command, said in a statement.

 

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal condemned the incident as “totally unacceptable,” confirming that Tallinn had invoked Article Four of NATO’s founding treaty — a move that obliges allies to hold consultations and potentially coordinate their response. “NATO fighters reacted quickly and forced the Russian jets to retreat,” Michal added in a post on X.

 

The incursion comes amid heightened vigilance along NATO’s eastern border. Earlier this month, the alliance took the unprecedented step of shooting down Russian drones that crossed into Polish territory — the first direct engagement of its kind since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In response, NATO has reinforced its eastern defenses with additional jets and air defense systems under “Operation Eastern Sentry.”

 

Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said the Russian planes entered over the Gulf of Finland without clearance, remained for about 12 minutes, and operated with transponders switched off. He denounced the action as “an extremely dangerous provocation,” stressing that Russia’s escalating aggression “must be countered with stronger political and economic pressure.”

 

Meanwhile, Poland’s Border Guard reported further “provocative behavior” by Russian jets on Friday, saying two warplanes flew at low altitude near an Orlen SA oil platform in the Baltic Sea.