Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated Estonian airspace on Friday, flying over the Gulf of Finland for 12 minutes without permission. The military aircraft operated near Vaindloo Island with their transponders switched off and maintained no radio communication with Estonian air traffic control.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna called the incident "unprecedentedly brazen", marking the fourth such violation by Russia this year. He demanded that "Russia's ever-increasing testing of borders and aggressiveness must be responded to by rapidly strengthening political and economic pressure."
NATO responds to violation
Only Daily Mail reports that Italian F-35 fighter jets were scrambled by NATO in response to the airspace breach. Estonia summoned the Russian chargé d'affaires to lodge a formal diplomatic protest over the violation.
EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas described the incursion as "an extremely dangerous provocation", according to BBC reports. The incident represents an escalation in Russian military provocations against NATO territory.
Pattern of violations
Estonia joins Romania and Poland as the third NATO country to report Russian airspace violations in recent weeks. Romania reported a drone breach during a Russian attack on neighbouring Ukraine, while Poland described an "unprecedented violation" last week.
Only Daily Mail reports this incident is part of a broader pattern, including 19 to 23 Russian drones entering Polish airspace between September 9-10. The UK imposed new sanctions on Russia following the recent Polish airspace violations, according to Daily Record.
Sources used: "Sky News", "Daily Mail", "BBC", "Daily Record", "Mirror", "Independent" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
