The Russian Ministry of Defense has denied Estonia’s accusations that Russian aircraft violated the country’s airspace. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the matter, as reported by RIA Novosti.
“Our Ministry of Defense categorically refuted these claims. Moreover, the statements of our military included references to objective control data,” Peskov said.
Flight Route Over Neutral Waters
The Ministry of Defense explained that on September 19, three MiG-31 fighter jets did not cross into Estonian territory but instead carried out a scheduled flight from Karelia to an airfield in the Kaliningrad region. The route, it stated, passed over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea at a distance of more than three kilometers from the island of Vaindloo.
Estonia and NATO’s Position
Estonian officials, however, claim that three Russian jets intruded into their airspace over the Gulf of Finland, remaining there for 12 minutes. Prime Minister of Estonia announced the alleged violation, while the Ministry of Defense of Estonia reported the incident publicly.
According to Reuters, Sweden’s Armed Forces provided photographs of Russian fighter jets over the Baltic Sea, said to have been taken after the planes exited Estonian airspace.
Politico reported that NATO believes three MiG-31 aircraft entered Estonia’s airspace, flying as far as five nautical miles (about eight kilometers) into its territory and heading toward Tallinn. Italian F-35 fighter jets were scrambled twelve minutes later, according to the same report.
Diplomatic Consequences
The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian chargé d’affaires in response to the alleged incursion, formally accusing Moscow of violating Estonia’s sovereignty.
