Three Russian MiG-31 fighters flew into the airspace of Estonia near the island of Vaindloo on the Gulf of Finnish on Friday morning and remained there for about 12 minutes.
“Russia has already violated the airspace of Estonia four times this year, which in itself is unacceptable. However, today's invasion, when three fighters flew into our airspace, it is unprecedented insolence” – said the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna.
He emphasized that more and more frequent attempts to test borders and the growing aggression of Russia must meet with rapid intensification of political and economic pressure towards the Kremlin.
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According to Estonian services, Russian fighters did not have flight plans, and their transponders were turned off. They also did not establish two -way radio communication with Estonian air traffic control.
The island of Vaindloo on the Gulf, located about 100 km northeast of Tallinn, is the northernmost point of Estonia.
Russian fighters over Estonia. World reactions
“Today's violation of the airspace of Estonia by Russian military aircraft is an extremely dangerous provocation. This is the third violation of the EU airspace of this type in a few days, it increases the tension in the region even more – emphasized in a statement Kaja Kallas, Vice -President of the EC, referring to the invasion of drones to Poland and Romania from last week.
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As she assured, the EU is fully solidary with Estonia. “We will continue to support our Member States in strengthening their defense using European resources,” Kallas emphasized, the former Estonian premiere.
“Putin exposes to the attempt to determine the West. We are not allowed to show weakness” – she noted.
“NATO reacted immediately and intercepted Russian aircraft, which violated the airspace of Estonia on Friday morning” – said spokeswoman for alliance Allison Hart. “This is another example of Russia's reckless behavior and the possibility of reacting NATO” – she emphasized.
The chairwoman of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen called on Friday EU leaders to quickly accept new sanctions for Russia in connection with the violation of the airspace of Estonia by Russian fighters.
