The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia said on 19 September that "three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets were unlicensed into Estonia's airspace for up to 12 minutes."A number of senior EU officials said on the same day that the Russian military aircraft's behavior was "extremely dangerous" and "unacceptable," and NATO said it had sent interceptors.

Prime Minister: It is unacceptable to ask for NATO consultation

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia summoned Russia's interim office in Estonia on 19th, protested the Russian aircraft "violation of Estonian airspace" on the same day and handed over the letter.

The foreign ministry issued a press release on the same day, saying that the "infringement" occurred over the Gulf of Finland, "three Russian MiG-31 fighters entered Estonia's airspace without permission for up to 12 minutes."

Estonia shares a border with Russia, both of which are countries along the Gulf of Finland.

According to the Estonian Public Broadcasting Company, Prime Minister Christian Michal announced that the Estonian government has requested NATO to initiate consultations on Article 4 of the North Atlantic Convention, which stipulates that the parties should consult together when any party considers that its territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened.

¡°This behavior is completely unacceptable, and NATO¡¯s response to any provocative act must be unified and tough. We believe it is necessary to consult with our allies to ensure the sharing of information between the parties and to jointly determine the next action.¡±

NATO: Emergency warplanes intercepted

NATO spokesman Hart said in a statement on social media that NATO has urgently deployed fighter jets to intercept Russian aircraft entering Estonian airspace.

Hart later confirmed that Estonia had asked NATO to launch consultations on Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which the NATO¡¯s highest decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, would meet earlier next week to discuss specifically.

The incident comes amid ongoing tensions on NATO's eastern flank. On the evening of the 9th of this month, a large number of drones entered Polish airspace, and the Polish military urgently disposed of and shot down some drones. The Polish government said that the drone came from Russia, and the Russian side said that the Polish accusation was unfounded. NATO Secretary-General Rutte announced on the 12th that NATO will launch a military operation codenamed "Eastern Sentinel" to strengthen the deterrence and defense posture of the alliance's eastern flank.

European Council President Costa said in a statement on social media that Russia¡¯s move was an ¡°unacceptable provocation¡±, stressing that ¡°this case once again highlights the need for Europe to strengthen its eastern defence line, deepen defence cooperation and increase pressure on Russia.¡±

Russian Defense Ministry: Russian aircraft did not violate foreign borders and airspace

The Russian Defense Ministry said three fighter jets flying from the Karelia region in northwestern Russia to its own state of Kaliningrad did not violate the borders and airspace of other countries.

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced through its social media account that on the 19th, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets completed the flight from Karelia to Kaliningrad Oblast as planned. The monitoring equipment confirmed that the flight strictly complied with the international rules for the use of airspace and did not violate the borders of other countries.

According to the news, the flight routes of these fighter jets passed over Baltic neutral waters, more than 3 kilometers away from the Estonian island of Van Dijk, and did not violate Estonian airspace.