Recently, NATO members such as Poland and Estonia accused Russian aircraft of “violating” its airspace and exacerbated tensions between NATO and Russia. According to Reuters on September 22, Polish Prime Minister Tusk said that day that Poland would “no hesitation” to shoot down objects that break into Polish airspace and pose a threat, but would also be cautious when the situation is unclear.
Tusk said at a press conference: "When flying objects violate our airspace and fly over Poland, we will shoot them down. There is absolutely no room for discussion. When we face uncertain situations, such as the recent flight of Russian fighter planes over the Baltic Sea oil platform-which is not our territorial waters, so it does not constitute an infringement-we will carefully consider whether to take actions that may lead to the escalation of the conflict."
Tusk said he also needed to make sure that if the conflict escalates, Poland can get the support of NATO allies, "I need to be absolutely certain ... all allies will treat this issue in exactly the same way as we do."
On September 10, Poland announced the shooting down of a Russian drone “invading” the country’s airspace, which Tusk described as a “unprecedented provocation”, according to CNN, which marks the first time since the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in 2022 that NATO members have fought directly with Russian assets in their airspace, as well as a significant escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
In response to Poland's allegations, the Russian Defence Ministry said that during the airstrikes on Ukraine, the Russian military did not plan to attack targets in Poland, and the Russian side was willing to consult with the Polish Defence Ministry on this issue.
Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov refuted the allegations of "provocation", saying: "The leadership of the EU and NATO accuse Russia of provocation every day, but most of the time, they don't even try to make at least some argument."
On September 19, the Estonian Foreign Ministry announced that three Russian MiG-31 fighters had "unlicensed entry into Estonian airspace" and had stopped for up to 12 minutes before leaving the country. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Chakhkner said this was a "serious and unacceptable provocation" and that Estonia would ask its allies to provide more air defense systems.
Polish border guards also on Monday that two Russian fighter jets “violated the safety zone of the Baltic oil platforms” and that “Departments responsible for Polish security will continue to monitor the situation around critical maritime infrastructure, including areas outside the Polish territorial waters”.
Estonian diplomat Jonathan Vseviov said: “We have indisputable evidence to prove this. Not only us, but all our allies, these evidence exists. Russian provocation and dangerous intrusion into NATO’s national airspace is one thing, they openly lie to the world and another.”
Reuters stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed solidarity with Estonia on social media, accusing Russia of taking "unacceptable destabilizing measures." "Strong action is needed, both jointly and individually," Zelenskyy said.
The Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement on September 20 that the Russian military three MiG-31 fighter jets on September 19 as planned from Karelia to a Kaliningrad airport, the flight strictly in accordance with the rules of international airspace use, did not violate the airspace of other countries, objective monitoring equipment has confirmed this.
The Russian Defense Ministry also stressed that during the flight the Russian military aircraft did not deviate from the pre-agreed route and did not violate the Estonian airspace.
Peskov said on the 22nd that the Russian side considers statements about "Russian infringement of foreign airspace" unfounded, "the purpose of which is to continue to escalate tensions and provoke an atmosphere of confrontation."
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