Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated Estonian airspace for about 12 minutes on Friday morning near Vaindloo Island in the Gulf of Finland, Estonian Foreign Minister said, calling it the most brazen breach this year. The aircraft entered without flight plans, flew with transponders off, and ignored radio calls from air traffic control, according to Estonia’s Foreign Ministry. Italian F-35s on NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission were scrambled to intercept and escorted the jets away.
Tallinn said this marks the fourth Russian airspace violation of 2025 and has summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires to lodge a formal protest. Estonia also requested NATO consultations under Article 4, which allows allies to meet when a member believes its security is threatened. “Unprecedentedly brazen,” Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said, urging swift political and economic pressure in response.
The jets entered near Vaindloo, an islet roughly 100 kilometers from Tallinn, Estonian authorities said.
Russia denied any violation, claiming its aircraft remained over neutral waters en route through the Baltic region. Similar overflight disputes have surfaced in recent weeks around NATO’s eastern flank, including drone incidents reported by Poland and Romania.
EU leaders backed Estonia. Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief and former Estonian prime minister, called the episode “an extremely dangerous provocation” and said Moscow is testing the West’s resolve. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe “stands with Estonia” and urged member states to swiftly approve a 19th sanctions package on Russia.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen weighed in, calling the episode a direct provocation. In a post on X , she said Europe “stands with Estonia in the face of Russia’s latest violation of our airspace” and vowed that the EU “will respond to every provocation with determination while investing in a stronger Eastern flank.” She added that “as threats escalate, so too will our pressure,” urging EU leaders to swiftly approve a 19th sanctions package.
What happens next will hinge on allied consultations and any additional NATO air-policing measures in the Baltic region. For now, officials in Tallinn say the priority is deterrence and a unified response — and ensuring Friday’s incursion does not become a new normal over the Gulf of Finland.
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