The New York Times
Three Russian fighter jets violated Estonia’s airspace on Friday for an unusually long period, some 12 minutes, in what Estonia’s foreign minister called an “unprecedentedly brazen” intrusion over the NATO country.
NATO responded to intercept the Russian jets, Allison Hart, the military alliance’s spokeswoman, said in a statement on X. “This is yet another example of reckless Russian behavior and NATO’s ability to respond,” she said.
Tensions were already high after at least 21 Russian drones flew in Polish airspace 10 days ago, prompting NATO to scramble fighter jets to shoot down some of them. That incursion was regarded by Polish officials, who provided an updated count of the drones, as a deliberate effort to test the alliance’s readiness and a dangerous escalation of the war in Ukraine.
The alliance conducts air policing over Estonia and the other Baltic nations in a mission called Baltic Sentry, and Russia has intruded into Estonian air space many times, but usually for very short periods. Friday’s incursion by three MIG-31 fighters was different and more prolonged, said Estonia’s foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna.
