Estonia's government reported that three Russian military jets violated its airspace on Friday. The incident occurred amid rising tensions along NATO's eastern flank. According to officials, three MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace without authorization and remained there for approximately 12 minutes.

NATO responded quickly, intercepting the Russian aircraft. A NATO spokesperson confirmed the violation, labeling it as reckless behavior by Russia. Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna expressed concern, stating, "Russia has violated Estonian airspace four times already this year, which is unacceptable in itself, but today's violation, during which three fighter jets entered our airspace, is unprecedentedly brazen."

Tsahkna emphasized the need for a strong response to Russia's increasing border provocations, advocating for enhanced political and economic pressure. In response to the incident, Estonia lodged a formal protest with the highest-ranking Russian diplomat in the country.

The violation comes shortly after a separate incident where more than 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace on September 9-10. NATO jets were deployed to intercept some of those drones, with Western officials suggesting that Russia was testing NATO's readiness and resolve.

Estonia has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine and has previously reported similar incursions. In May, a Russian fighter jet briefly entered NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea while attempting to intercept a Russian-bound oil tanker suspected of violating Western sanctions.