Information
Estonia has summoned a Russian diplomat after reporting that three Russian fighter jets violated its airspace on Friday. According to Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, this marks the fourth such incursion this year, but the scale of the latest breach, three MIG-31 jets flying into Estonian territory for 12 minutes, was described as “unprecedentedly brazen.” The incident took place over the Gulf of Finland and has heightened concerns in Tallinn over Russia’s continued disregard for its neighbour’s sovereignty.
As a NATO member and staunch supporter of Ukraine, Estonia has repeatedly condemned Moscow’s aggressive behaviour in the region. The airspace violation comes just over a week after Russian drones crossed into Poland, where NATO forces responded by shooting some down. With both Poland and Estonia sharing borders with Russia, these incidents underscore growing tensions along NATO’s eastern flank and raise fresh alarms about Moscow’s willingness to test allied defences.
Source: AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters
So What
This is a significant move by Russia, likely a deliberate violation of airspace. It appears to be an operation aimed at testing NATO’s responses and limitations. This incident can provide Russia with insights on how quickly NATO air assets can be deployed to intercept them, where those assets are stationed, and how much NATO is willing to tolerate without directly engaging. In contrast, Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet the first time it entered their airspace during combat operations in Syria.
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