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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
NATO intercepts three Russian jets over Estonia’s airspace
By Sophie Tanno, CNN
Updated:
12:38 PM EDT, Wed September 24, 2025
Source: CNN
NATO intercepted three Russian jets that violated Estonia’s airspace
on Friday, the country’s foreign ministry and an alliance
spokesperson said.
Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace over the
Gulf of Finland without permission and remained there for a total of 12
minutes, the Estonian foreign ministry said.
Italian F-35 fighters that were 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.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said the Russian jets were
subsequently “forced to flee.”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised the alliance’s response as
“quick and decisive.”
Russia later denied its jets had entered Estonian airspace, insisting
the flight was carried out “in strict accordance with international
rules” and “without violating the borders of other countries.”
The Russian ministry of defense said the jets flew over “the neutral
waters of the Baltic Sea” on their way from Karelia, a republic in
northwest Russia, to an airfield in the Kaliningrad region, a Russian
exclave situated between Poland and Lithuania, and were more than three
kilometers from the northernmost point of Estonia’s territory.
Estonia has NATO Article 4 consultations following the “totally
unacceptable” violation, the Estonian prime minister said. NATO
spokesperson Allison Hart said the North Atlantic Council will convene
early next week to discuss the incident in more detail.
Article 4 of the NATO treaty states that any member country can
formally bring an issue to the attention of the council, the
alliance’s principal decision-making body, to meet and discuss next
steps when the territorial integrity, political independence or
security of the member country is threatened.
Poland triggered such a consultation after several Russian drones and
fighter jets entered its airspace last week.
The Estonian foreign ministry said it had summoned Russia’s chargé
d’affaires over the incident.
Hours later, Poland’s border guard reported that two Russian fighter
jets conducted a “low-level pass” over an oil platform in the
Baltic Sea owned by the Polish oil company Petrobaltic.
“Polish security services are constantly monitoring the situation,”
the border guard said.
‘Unprecedentedly brazen’
The instances are the latest cases of NATO member countries reporting
airspace violations by Russian jets and drones in recent days.
“Russia has already violated Estonia’s airspace four times this
year, which in itself is unacceptable. But today’s incursion,
involving three fighter aircraft entering our airspace, is
unprecedentedly brazen,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna
said.
“Russia’s increasingly extensive testing of boundaries and growing
aggressiveness must be met with a swift increase in political and
economic pressure,” Tsahkna said.
Romania’s foreign minister Oana Toiu told CNN’s Isa Soares that she
had spoken to her Estonian counterpart about the incident.
“We are clear on the fact that it is unacceptable,” Toiu said.
“Russia is trying to undermine NATO’s coherence, but I think
they’re achieving the exact opposite.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the violation part of a
“systematic Russian campaign directed against Europe, against NATO,
against the West.”
The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, condemned the
incident on Friday as an “extremely dangerous provocation.”
“This marks the third such violation of EU airspace in days and
further escalates tensions in the region,” Kallas wrote on . “The
EU stands in full solidarity with Estonia.”
Kallas said she was in close contact with the Estonian government.
“Putin is testing the West’s resolve. We must not show weakness,”
she added.
US President Donald Trump weighed in Friday on the Russian airspace
violations, saying it “could be big trouble.”
Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump said he had not been
briefed on the incidents yet, but added: “I don’t love it. I
don’t like when that happens. Could be big trouble.”
Calls for more sanctions
Earlier Friday, the European Commission proposed a fresh round of
sanctions against Russia, citing, among other things, the violation of
EU airspace.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pushed for EU states
to approve the sanctions to place additional pressure on Moscow.
“We will respond to every provocation with determination while
investing in a stronger Eastern flank. As threats escalate, so too will
our pressure,” von der Leyen wrote on X.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK supports Estonia
and emphasized the need to “increase pressure on Putin, including
driving forward the important new economic sanctions.”
The incident on Friday comes after both Polish and Romanian airspaces
earlier this month – prompting NATO allies to pledge to beef up
defenses on the alliance’s eastern flank.
Last Wednesday, NATO fighter jets shot down multiple Russian drones
that violated Polish airspace during an attack on neighboring Ukraine.
The operation marked the first time that shots were fired by NATO since
the start of the war in Ukraine. The military alliance denounced Moscow
for “absolutely dangerous” behavior.
On Sunday, Romania’s airspace was breached by a Russian drone,
prompting Bucharest to scramble fighter jets.
The two F-16 jets came close to downing the drone but pilots decided
not to open fire after assessing the collateral risks.
CNN’s Antonia Mortensen and Victoria Butenko contributed to this
report.
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