The Russian MiG-31 fighter jets that invaded Estonia's airspace. Image Credit: Times Now
(The Post News) – Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna confirmed that three unpermitted Russian fighter jets breached their airspace on Friday.
The NATO-member country confirmed that the MiG-31 jets hovered around capital’s airspace for twelve minutes as they gathered Italian F-35s to repel them. No shots were fired by either party, and the Russian jets moved on without incident.
Tsahkna condemned the violation and called it “unprecedentedly brazen.”. He noted that this particular occurrence is unacceptable, as this marks the fifth violation of Estonian airspace by Russian jets this year.
The minister added that they have summoned the top Russian charge d’affaires, Andrei Ordash, and given him a protest note. He also noted that Russia is increasingly becoming more “aggressive” in testing the boundaries of the countries in the region.
The EU Stands With Estonia, Against Russian Incursions
Tsahkna urged that the incursion be “met with a swift increase in political and economic pressure,” a sentiment echoed by European Union(EU) Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Kallas posted on X that the incursion was a “provocation” adding that “Putin is testing the West’s resolve.”. Whereas von der Leyen said “Europe stands with Estonia in the face of Russia’s latest violation of our airspace,”.
This is the third NATO member country to report an incursion since Poland’s major incident nine days ago, which involved Russian drones being shot down. That incident prompted NATO to invoke Article 4 of its treaty and sparked discussions of a potential World War III.
In mid-September, Romania also complained of a 50-minute drone incursion. This was reportedly not the first time Russia had invaded their airspace as Russia continue to trade blows with Ukraine.
The EU has been working with the United States(US) to find a way to pressure the nuclear-armed country into signing a ceasefire. They have fast-tracked their plans to phase out dependency on Russian energy, and the US is looking to impose stage 2 of their sanctions.
Meanwhile, Ukraine and Russia are reportedly coordinating to strengthen their air defences against potential strikes. Both countries insist that the recent breaches are intentional provocations and argue that such actions do not reflect the stance of a nation interested in signing a ceasefire.
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