The Estonian Defence Forces have published a chart showing the flight path of three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets that crossed into Estonia’s skies on Friday morning and lingered for nearly twelve minutes.
The image traces how the interceptors entered in the vicinity of Vaindloo Island, five miles inside NATO airspace, before flying parallel to Estonia’s border from east to west. The aircraft had no flight plans, transponders or radio contact.
Italian F-35s stationed at Ämari airbase under NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission scrambled to intercept and forced the Russians back out. The Defence Forces described the incursion as the most serious in years.
Swift political response
Prime Minister Kristen Michal called the breach “malevolence, if not a deliberate operation” and announced that Estonia would trigger NATO’s Article 4 consultations. “Russia’s ever-increasing testing of borders and aggressiveness must be met with united and strong responses,” he said. The prime minister noted that Estonia has the means to use force if necessary.
Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets remained in Estonian airspace for almost twelve minutes before being repelled by Italian Air Force F-35s (pictured), deployed at Ämari airbase under NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission. Photo by Keiron Laubert.
Margus Tsahkna, the foreign minister, branded the incursion “unprecedentedly brazen”, while Hanno Pevkur, the defence minister, said Moscow was trying to distract NATO from Ukraine.
The Russian chargé d’affaires in Tallinn was summoned and handed a protest note within hours.
The map’s release drew rapid international reaction. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, called Russia’s actions “a step in a pattern of provocations and irresponsible behaviour.” John Healey, Britain’s defence secretary, described them as “reckless and hazardous,” adding: “Putin’s aggression only strengthens NATO’s unity and determination to stand with Ukraine.”
In Washington, President Donald Trump warned there “could be big trouble.” Finland’s defence minister Antti Häkkänen said Russia’s behaviour was designed to “heighten tensions and test Western resolve.”
Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets penetrated the Estonian airspace near Vaindloo Island over the Gulf of Finland shortly after 9 AM on 19 September, flying without flight plans, transponders or radio contact.
More than a line on a map
Estonian officials stressed the incursion was no accident. “It is a deliberate provocation designed to test NATO’s readiness,” said Kalev Stoicescu, chair of the parliament’s defence committee.
The violation was the fourth this year but the first involving a formation of fighters capable of carrying hypersonic missiles. For Estonia, NATO’s smallest frontline state, the chart released on Saturday is a stark visual reminder of its vulnerability – and of Moscow’s willingness to probe its borders.
As one official put it: “The question is not whether Russia will try again – but how we will respond.”
