NATO leaders gathered urgently on Tuesday at Estonia’s request, slamming Russia for dispatching three armed MiG-31 fighters into Estonian airspace on Sept. 19.
The North Atlantic Council got a rundown from the Supreme Allied Commander Europe about the intrusion, which dragged on for over 10 minutes. Allied pilots jumped into action, launching intercepts to chase the Russian aircraft away.
This stunt fits into a string of bold moves by Moscow, the council noted. It was the second Article 4 huddle in just two weeks — the first came on Sept. 10 after Russian drones buzzed into Polish territory. Allies like Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Romania have dealt with the same headaches recently, and NATO backed them all the way.
The statement laid the blame square on Russia: “These moves crank up the heat, court disasters and threaten people. Knock it off.”
NATO promised to push back hard, spotlighting the fresh Eastern Sentry push started Sept. 12 to beef up the eastern edge with better air shields and more. Russia better not doubt it — the alliance is geared up to use every legal tool, military or otherwise, to guard against threats from anywhere, anytime, in any way it sees fit.
Article 5 stays rock solid, treating any hit on one member as a hit on everyone. And these antics won’t budge the allies from helping Ukraine fend off Russia’s unwarranted assault. Ukraine’s safety ties right into theirs, the council wrapped up.
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