Three Russian fighter jets flew into Estonian airspace on Friday in what would appear to be the third attempt by the Kremlin this month to test NATO’s eastern border.
The MiG-31 aircraft — heavy interceptors capable of carrying Russia’s Kinzhal hypersonic missile — entered via the Gulf of Finland. The jets circled for about 12 minutes and NATO scrambled Italian F-35s to repel them.
The incursion comes after Russia last week also sent drones into Poland and Romania, two other frontline NATO members.
"The Russians have been flying this exact airspace for decades. It's difficult to see how this wasn't intentional," a U.S. official told POLITICO.
Estonia in response is invoking NATO's Article 4, which requires alliance members to convene for urgent talks, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna confirmed to POLITICO.
“This is yet another example of reckless Russian behaviour and NATO’s ability to respond,” NATO Spokesperson Allison Hart said.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the incursion as "an extremely dangerous provocation," adding that the EU "will continue to support our member states in strengthening their defences with European resources."
Estonia said it has also summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires in Tallinn.
“Russia has violated Estonian airspace four times already this year, which is unacceptable in itself, but today’s violation, during which three fighter jets entered our airspace, is unprecedentedly brutal,” Tsahkna said. “Russia’s ever-increasing testing of borders and aggression must be responded to by rapidly strengthening political and economic pressure.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow's attacks were 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," he said in a post on X.
"This is a systematic Russian campaign directed against Europe, against NATO, against the West. And it requires a systemic response," Zelenskyy said.
Earlier this month, Poland reported more than a dozen drones crossed its border overnight, with some heading toward the strategic hub of Rzeszów. Polish forces, backed by NATO allies, shot down several drones and later also invoked NATO's Article 4. Warsaw called the incident a deliberate Russian provocation.
On Sept. 12, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte announced the launch of the “Eastern Sentry” mission to bolster defenses on the alliance’s eastern flank in response to the Russian drone incursion.
Romania has also faced repeated violations, including a drone tracked for nearly 50 minutes in its airspace in mid-September. Fragments from earlier Russian attacks in Ukraine have repeatedly landed on Romanian territory.
Announcing a new round of EU sanctions on Russian energy and financial transactions on Friday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen deplored that in recent days "Russian drones have violated our union's airspace, both in Poland and in Romania."
"Again and again, President [Vladimir] Putin has escalated and in response, Europe is increasing its pressure," she said. "We know that our sanctions are an effective tool of economic pressure, and we will keep using them until Russia comes to the negotiating table."
NATO allies have historically exercised restraint in such situations. The last time a member state shot down a Russian fighter was in 2015, when Turkey downed a Su-24 near the Syria-Turkey border, sparking a sharp diplomatic confrontation with Moscow but no wider conflict.
Since then, despite repeated airspace violations over the Baltics, Poland and Romania, the alliance has refrained from similar moves.
This story has been updated. Paul McLeary contributed reporting from Washington and Veronika Melkozerova contributed reporting from Kyiv.