A Russian fighter jet violated Estonia's airspace on Wednesday, triggering a swift response from NATO's air policing mission in the Baltic states, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on Thursday, according to Reuters.
The ministry headed by Tsahkna stated that it was the first time this year that a Russian aircraft violated Estonian airspace.
The airspace violation occurred near the island of Vaindloo in the Gulf of Finland off the northern coast of Estonia, where a Russian SU-30 fighter jet entered Estonian airspace and remained there for about a minute.
“There was no threat to Estonia's security,” the Estonian foreign minister stressed.
NATO's air policing mission in the Baltic states reacted quickly, lifting Italian Air Force aircraft from the ground, he said.
Russian aircraft repeatedly tested NATO's response last year
Estonia said last September that three Russian warplanes violated its airspace for 12 minutes in an “unprecedentedly bold” incursion. Russia's Defense Ministry dismissed the claim as false.
The incident occurred at the same time that Poland and Norway in turn accused Russia of sending fighter jets to violate their airspace. In Romania, a Russian Geran drone violated the airspace of our country on September 14, 2025.
Estonia summoned the acting head of the Russian diplomatic mission in Tallinn to protest Wednesday's incident, the foreign ministry said.
The Russian Embassy in Estonia did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by Reuters by phone and email.
