Tallinn: Estonia has accused Russia of carrying out one of the most daring airspace violations in recent years, after three Russian fighter jets allegedly entered Estonian skies over the small island of Vaindloo and remained there for an unusually long period.
According to Estonia’s Defence Forces, the incident occurred on Friday morning, when three Russian MiG-31 aircraft crossed into Estonian territory and stayed inside for about 12 minutes. Authorities described the act as “brazen” and significantly different from the shorter, more fleeting incursions that have been reported in the past.
Estonian officials emphasized that the Russian aircraft failed to comply with international aviation norms. The jets were not equipped with a valid flight plan, their transponders were switched off, and they made no contact with Estonian air traffic control. Such conduct, officials said, created not only a serious breach of sovereignty but also a potential safety hazard in one of the busiest air corridors in the Baltic region.
Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna strongly condemned the violation, calling it the fifth such incident this year. He warned that repeated provocations of this nature reflect a deliberate escalation in Russia’s behavior towards NATO members. “Russia’s aggression must be countered with firm political and economic measures,” Tsahkna said, adding that Estonia has summoned Moscow’s senior diplomat in Tallinn to lodge a formal protest and deliver a note of complaint.
Although airspace violations near Vaindloo Island – situated roughly 100 kilometers from the capital Tallinn have occurred before, Estonian officials highlighted that the scale and duration of Friday’s incursion marked a significant escalation. Typically, such incidents last only a few minutes and involve one or two aircraft, not three fighter jets lingering in Estonian skies for over ten minutes.
This latest breach comes amid heightened tensions along NATO’s eastern flank. Earlier this month, more than 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace, some of which were intercepted and shot down by NATO jets. Many Western analysts have interpreted these incidents as a deliberate attempt by Moscow to test NATO’s vigilance and resolve.
The violation also closely followed the conclusion of Zapad 2025, a massive Russian-Belarusian military exercise that NATO closely monitored for signs of aggressive intent. Estonia sees the timing of the incursion as part of a broader strategy of intimidation and pressure against alliance members in Eastern Europe.
While NATO has not yet issued a collective statement, the incident is likely to intensify calls within the alliance for stronger deterrence measures in the Baltic region. Military observers believe the breach could lead to an increase in NATO air patrols and readiness levels in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, all of which border Russia or its ally Belarus.
For Estonia, a small NATO member on the frontline of Russian military activity, the episode underscores both its vulnerability and its reliance on collective defense. Analysts say the incursion was likely a calculated move by Moscow part provocation, part intelligence-gathering exercise aimed at probing NATO’s response threshold.
As tensions sharpen across Eastern Europe, Tallinn’s warning is clear: each breach of its skies is not just an attack on Estonia, but on NATO itself.