Russian Jets Violating Estonian Airspace Resulting in United Nations Security Meeting

Russia’s MiG-31 fighter jets which penetrated Estonian airspace.

NATO had intercepted three Russian jets over Estonia`s airspace. These were MiG-31 jets that have crossed over from Finland, flew over Estonia for about 12 minutes over a small island called Vaindloo off the Gulf of Finland. This is the second time Russia has violated NATO airspace that resulted in an United Nations Emergency Security meeting.

Italian jets responded to the intrusion. CNN News reports, “Italian F-35 fighters that were stationed in Estonia as part of NATO’s Eastern Sentry operation, in addition to Swedish and Finnish aircraft, responded to the intrusion, NATO Allied Command Operations headquarters said.”

Along with the Italians F-35 fighters, Finland and Sweden have also gathered their jets.

But Russia is denying this even though their drones were spotted in Poland, Romania and debris in Latvia.

This is the second incident that Russia has violated NATO airspace, along with other incidents in Europe like in Copenhagen, Denmark causing an airport to shut down.

“Estonia also came into this during this time right after attack on Poland, that it was hard not to connect those events,” Professor Iryna Zaverukha of the University of Southern California said. “Also we know that those drones in Copenhagen, in Denmark, and even though we don’t have full information about those drones and what happened, but I guess nobody can rule out that those are Russian drones.”

Now, Estonia is calling for a meeting with the United Nations Security Council about this jet incursion. Estonia`s foreign minister Margus Tsakhna wrote on a post on X formally Twitter, “By openly violating Estonian airspace, Russia undermines principles vital to the security of all UN member states. When such actions are committed by a permanent member of the Security Council, they must be addressed by that very body.”

The Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal is now asking for NATO Article 4 consultations, when members consult plans to take when their territory, political independence and security is threatened.

Research Professor of Political Science at the University of California Irvine, Rein Taagepera thinks this is part of Russia`s plan to provoke a war with Western Europe for supplying Ukraine with weapons and money since they could not fight without the help of NATO and other supplies coming from Western Europe.

“It may be that Putin is frustrated and somehow tries to get back at Western Europe, at the European Union, NATO in various ways, disruption of airport traffic in Western Europe and testing the borders in various ways,” Taagepara said.

On Monday, at the UN Security Council meeting, leaders of Poland and Estonia condemned Russia for the jet incursion into Estonia. Deputy Prime Minister of Poland Radoslaw Sikorski asking for Russia to acknowledge their accidental incursions rather
than tell lies with his final words saying “If another missile or aircraft enters our space without permission deliberately or by mistake and gets shot down and the wreckage falls on NATO territory, please don`t come here to whine about it, you have been warned.”

Then the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Estonia, Margus Tsahkna, presented screenshots of the Russian jets that had been caught by radar. Tsakhna said that the Russian jets were warned before but they ignored and flew 100 km over Estonia with the jets carrying missiles.

Professor Taagepera was in Estonia. He spent some time in the city of Tartu and noticed how life was while visiting his home country during this situation.

“Life continues peacefully in Tartu. At the same time, Estonia is making preparations, fortifying the border,” said Taagepera. “And I feel the Estonian preparation, both in civil defense and logistics, are carried out reasonably well.”

If NATO were to shoot down NATO jets in the future, a war would not break out in Europe because nearly a decade ago, a Russian aircraft was shot down in the Middle East.

“When Turkey shut down a Russian jet bomber some 12 years ago, nothing happened.

Moscow realized, apparently, that it had overdone it and further incursions stopped,” said Taagepera. “It would then be Russia’s choice whether to construe it as a war act and expand warlike activities or stop. It’s unpredictable. But once again, I do not see
what Russia could do when its army is tied up in Ukraine.”

Now Ukrainian Prime Minister, Volodymyr Zelenskyy had made a post on X formally Twitter about how Russian attacks are spreading to other countries “Outrageous.

Russia’s destabilizing activity is expanding into new countries and directions. They use every tool: from interference in political processes, as in Romania and Moldova, to violations of airspace, as in Poland, Romania, and now Estonia.”

This is the second time NATO had to call for Article 4, since they had to call on Article 4 when about 20 Russian drones flew into Poland. Due to Putin`s rhetorics about peace, he has caused lots of problems in Europe.

“For him peace is all Russia for him. He believes if Kremlin has control over all, effective control over all Eastern and Central Europe, he believes that it will be peace,” said Zaverukha. “Whatever rules he imposes on all these nations, it will be peace. It will be one government. He’s not thinking about negotiating anything. He’s not negotiator period.”

U.S. President Donald Trump had said that NATO should shoot down Russian jets for intruding into NATO territory.

This is not the first time Russian jets have crossed into Estonia as it has been going on since 1991 when the jets had flown from Leningrad to the Kaliningrad territory that borders Poland to the south and Lithuania to the north crossing airspaces of multiple countries. Then in 2014, Russian jets crossed into Estonia 40 times seen near Vaindloo island and two years later with 10 incidents along with President Putin`s aircraft entered
Estonian airspace back in 2018.