Once again on defensive: Russia's Defense Ministry denies MiG-31 incursion into Estonia
Photo: Russian MiG-31 fighter jet (wikipedia.org)
Russia has denied accusations that its military aircraft violated Estonian airspace on Friday, September 19, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that three MiG-31 fighter jets were carrying out a scheduled flight from Karelia to an airfield in the Kaliningrad region.
According to the ministry, the flight was conducted "in strict compliance with international airspace rules, without violating the borders of other states," which they said was confirmed by objective control systems.
During the flight, the Russian aircraft "did not deviate from the agreed air corridor and did not enter Estonian airspace." The ministry added that the route "ran over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, more than three kilometers away from the island of Vaindloo."
Russia's provocation against NATO countries
On Friday, September 19, however, a group of Russian MiG-31 jets reportedly breached Estonian airspace and remained over the country for 12 minutes. Italian Air Force F-35s were scrambled to intercept the aircraft.
In response, Estonia’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires and handed over a note of protest. According to Tallinn, this marked the fourth airspace violation within the past year.
The Estonian government has called on NATO to hold consultations under Article 4 of the Alliance’s charter. Both NATO and the EU issued sharp and critical statements over the incident.
In Lithuania, officials urged a firm response to the provocation — drawing comparisons to Turkey’s downing of a Russian Su-25 fighter jet in 2015.
