Video a Russian war plane entered without permission in the NATO airspace / “a very serious situation” / F-16 aircraft responded to the incident
A Russian Suhoi Su-35 aircraft. Archive image. Photo: Not Supplied / Willwest News / Profimedia
The incident took place in Estonia's airspace on Tuesday, at a time when the authorities Estone were trying to retain and escort an oil in the Ghost Fleet of Russia, writes Reuters and the website of the Public Eston Err.Ee.
A Russian fighter plane entered Estonia's airspace, NATO member state, without permission on Tuesday evening, Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna stressing that “the situation is very serious”.
The plane, a Suhoi Su-35, violated Estonia's airspace over the half of the Gulf of Finland and flew in the NATO airspace for less than a minute, a press release from the Estone Defense Forces said, according to ERR.SEE.
On Tuesday evening, Marina Estona escorted a suspected oilman to be part of the Russian “ghost”, heading for St. Petersburg. The Russian and Polish press have suggested that the two incidents could be linked
❗️it is reported that the Estonian Military Made an attempt to Arrest a Jaguar Tanker of Russia's Shadow Fleet That Was on Its to a Russian Port Under the Flag of Gabon.
A Russian Su-35 Flew into the Estonian Airspace to Help the Tanker Out. Estonia accused Russia of… pic.twitter.com/ysslihsdic
– Anton Gerashchenko (@gerashchenko_en) May 14, 2025
According to the authorities Estone, the plane did not deposit any flight plan, the plane transponents were stopped, and the pilot did not maintain a communication with Estonian air traffic control, he added.
The F-16 F-16 hunting planes of Portuguese air forces, held at the NATO Air Police Mission in the Baltic Sea, responded to the incident and made a recognition flight.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs convened on Thursday on the business task of the Russian Embassy in Estonia and awarded a diplomatic note.
“From the perspective of Estonia, this is a very serious and regrettable incident, which is not acceptable in any way,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Margus Tsahkna in a statement.
The violation of the airspace took place at the same time as the largest military exercise of this year, the Hedgehog exercise, which includes over 16,000 soldiers in Estonia and the Allied countries.
This is the first reported violation of Estonia's airspace for the last few years. Between 2014-2023, there were several violations each year.
The Russian fighting planes often flew without predefined flight plans, with the transponents stopped and without contacting the Estonian authorities.
