Estonia reports violation of its airspace by Russian fighter jet

The Estonian army reported on Wednesday that a Russian military aircraft had violated the airspace of the Baltic EU and NATO country.

The Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet entered Estonian airspace without permission on Tuesday evening over the Baltic Sea near the Juminda Peninsula in northern Estonia, and remained there for a short time, the Estonian army said.

F-16 fighter jets from the Portuguese Air Force, stationed at the Estonian military air base Ämari for NATO airspace surveillance over the Baltic States, responded and conducted a reconnaissance flight.

The three Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – do not have their own fighter jets, so their NATO allies take turns patrolling and securing their airspace.

The Foreign Ministry in Tallinn summoned the chargé d’affaires of the Russian embassy and handed over a diplomatic note.

“From Estonia’s point of view, this is a very serious and regrettable incident that is completely unacceptable,” said Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.

The army says this was the first such airspace violation by Russia this year, and that it lasted less than a minute.

The fighter jet did not submit a flight plan, had its electronic identification turned off, and did not maintain radio contact with Estonian air traffic control, the army said.