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Russian jets breached Nato airspace on Friday, in what officials called a “brazen” incursion into Estonian territory — the third airborne incident against an eastern member of the defence alliance in just over a week.
Three MiG-31 fighter jets flew above the Baltic country for 12 minutes on Friday, prompting Nato to send Italian F-35 fighter jets in response.
European and Nato officials condemned the incident, which comes after Nato jets shot down Russian drones that entered Poland’s airspace last week — the first direct confrontation between the western defence alliance and Russian military assets since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Nato said on Friday the alliance had responded immediately and “intercepted the Russian aircraft”, adding: “This is yet another example of reckless Russian behaviour and Nato’s ability to respond,” it said.
On Friday evening, the government of Estonia said in a statement that it was requesting Nato Article 4 consultations. Prime Minister Kristen Michal said: “Such a violation is completely unacceptable, and Nato’s response to any provocation must be united and strong. We consider it essential to consult with our Allies to ensure shared situational awareness and to agree on our next joint steps.”
Minister of foreign affairs Margus Tsahkna confirmed the request, saying: “Due to Russia’s increasingly frequent provocations, we consider it necessary to request Nato Article 4 consultations in order to discuss the Alliance’s next steps.”
Also on Friday evening, the Polish military wrote on X that it had seen Russian fighter jets in “a low flyover in the vicinity of the Petrobaltic extraction platform,” an offshore rig in Polish waters.
Russian planes have briefly flown into Estonian airspace before, but the incident on Friday morning was unusually long.
Estonia said on Friday it had summoned the Russian chargé d’affaires over the incident.
Tsahkna said: “Russia has already violated Estonia’s airspace four times this year, which in itself is unacceptable. But today’s incursion, involving three fighter aircraft entering our airspace, is unprecedentedly brazen.”
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat and a former Estonian premier, 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.”
US President Donald Trump addressed the incursion late on Friday, saying: “I don’t love it, I don’t love it . . . Could be big trouble.”
After the Polish incursion last week, Nato jets intercepted a Russian drone in Romania last weekend that had breached allied airspace.
Baltic diplomats say Moscow is increasingly provoking Nato to show its weaknesses, especially in terms of air defences.
“Russia directly threatens Euro-Atlantic security and tests Nato’s limits . . . These are not accidents,” said Kęstutis Budrys, Lithuania’s foreign minister. “The alliance is being tested militarily. We must sharpen Nato’s posture to the point where no one dares to test our deterrence.”
Nato said last week it would move more fighter jets and air defence systems to states on its eastern flank in response to the Kremlin’s provocations. But diplomats say Nato cannot afford to use $500,000 missiles and multimillion-dollar fighter jets to combat swarms of $20,000 drones.
Budrys and many other Baltic officials want Nato to upgrade its air defences to include jamming and cheaper ways of shooting down drones. The EU has announced it would make more funding available to set up a “drone wall” on its eastern borders, including with technology developed and battle-tested in Ukraine.
Russia has repeatedly made brief forays into Baltic airspace for more than a decade as well as other provocations, including practising a nuclear attack on Stockholm in 2013.
Additional reporting by Steff Chávez in Washington
