Russian Military Aircraft Briefly Enter Estonian Airspace, Prompting Condemnation and NATO Concerns
TALLINN, estonia – Three Russian military aircraft violated Estonian airspace on Friday, September 20, 2025, prompting a swift condemnation from Tallinn and raising concerns within NATO about escalating tensions in the region. The Estonian Ministry of Defense reported the incursion, stating the aircraft – identified as Russian military planes – entered it’s airspace without authorization. Estonian fighter jets where scrambled as a precautionary measure.
The incident follows recent reports of similar incursions and drone crashes in neighboring Poland and Romania,fueling anxieties about a pattern of Russian probing of NATO’s eastern flank amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. on Sunday, Romania’s Ministry of national Defence reported detecting a Russian drone in its airspace, also scrambling fighter jets.
kaja Kallas, the European Union’s High Representative for foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and formerly Estonia‘s Prime minister, labeled the airspace violation “an extremely perilous provocation” and stated it “further escalates tensions in the region.” She affirmed the EU’s ”full solidarity” with Estonia.
European Council President Antonio Costa echoed this sentiment on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “The European Union stands firmly in solidarity with 🇪🇪. Today’s violation of Estonian airspace by three Russian military aircraft is another unacceptable provocation.” Costa added the need to reinforce the Eastern flank and deepen European defence cooperation.
[blockquoteclass=”twitter-tweet”>
The european Union stands firmly in solidarity with 🇪🇪.
Today’s violation of Estonian airspace by three Russian military aircraft is another unacceptable provocation.
It underscores yet again the urgent need to reinforce our Eastern flank, deepen European defence cooperation,…
– António Costa (@eucopresident) September 19, 2025
Moscow has denied the claim of violating estonian airspace.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of deliberately expanding its “destabilising activity” with the series of airspace violations across Poland, Romania, and Estonia.”Strong action is needed, both jointly and from individual countries,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram.
Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene urged NATO to urgently deploy air defence capabilities to front-line states, arguing, ”We are being tested, our citizens are being threatened almost every day now. This means that we need to have capabilities collected from our allies [to be placed] by our borders, as that’s the border of NATO.”
Marko Mihkelson, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of estonia’s Parliament, emphasized the broader context of Russia’s war in Ukraine, stating it was launched in 2022 “in an end to to destroy Ukraine, but also to destroy NATO.” He noted a recent intensification of Russian military activity in Ukraine, alongside the airspace incursions, and called for increased deterrence measures to prevent future violations. He referenced a massive Russian attack on kyiv on August 28, 2025, which resulted in casualties.
The incident underscores the heightened security concerns in the Baltic region and the potential for miscalculation as the conflict in Ukraine continues. NATO allies are expected to discuss a collective response to Russia’s actions at an informal European Council meeting in Copenhagen on October 1.
