FILE PHOTO: Russian MiG-31 fighter jets fly in formation behind a tower of the Kremlin during a rehearsal for the flypast, which is part of a military parade marking the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in central Moscow, Russia May 4, 2022. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva/File Photo
Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna speaks during a press conference after a meeting of the Foreign ministers from the member countries of the Nordic-Baltic Eight, NB8, at the island of Bornholm, Denmark, Tuesday April 29, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Thomas Traasdahl via REUTERS/File Photo

By Andrius Sytas and Gram Slattery

VILNIUS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Three Russian military jets on Friday violated NATO member Estonia's airspace for 12 minutes in an "unprecedentedly brazen" incursion, its government said, the latest in a series of recent military actions by Russia that have rattled the alliance.

The incursion came just over a week after more than 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace on the night of Sept. 9-10, prompting NATO jets to down some of them and Western officials to say Russia was testing the alliance's readiness and resolve.

It also occurred three days after Russia and Belarus ended their "Zapad-2025" joint military exercises, which included the rehearsal of the launch of Russian nuclear weapons.

FIGHTER JETS OVER ESTONIA

Tallinn said on Friday the three MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace without permission and stayed there for a total of 12 minutes, a period during which the high-speed aircraft could have traveled over broad swaths of the country.

"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," said Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.

"Russia's ever-increasing testing of borders and aggressiveness must be responded to by rapidly strengthening political and economic pressure."

The Russian Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but its jets routinely fly over the Baltic Sea between mainland Russia and its exclave of Kaliningrad, where Russia's Baltic Fleet is based.

The Polish Board Guards said on Friday that two Russian fighter jets violated the safety zone of the Petrobaltic drilling platform in the Baltic Sea.

"Earlier today, Russian jets violated Estonian airspace. NATO responded immediately and intercepted the Russian aircraft. This is yet another example of reckless Russian behaviour and NATO’s ability to respond," a NATO spokesperson said on X.

The U.S. State Department referred queries to the White House, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

President Donald Trump's administration was being closely watched for a response.

Washington had had little to say about last week's drone incursion into Poland and did not participate directly in fending it off, triggering deep anxiety among NATO members, who have questioned Trump's commitment to their defense in case of a Russian attack.

'NO ACCIDENT'

Europeans quickly responded to the Russian jet incident on Friday.

"This was no accident," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas - a former Estonian prime minister - said in comments relayed by a spokesperson.

Estonia said it had summoned the top Russian diplomat in the country to lodge a protest and deliver a note.

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said his country had decided to ask NATO to open consultations under Article 4 of the alliance's treaty, and that the Russian jets flew around 5 nautical miles (9 km) into NATO airspace before Italian F-35s, currently stationed at a base in Estonia, pushed them out.

Article 4 states that members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territory, political independence or security of any of them is threatened.

Ukraine called the incursion a "direct threat to transatlantic security" and said it stands with Estonia. "Russia must face crushing political and economic pressure," Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said on X.com.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said Russia was testing NATO's limits. "These are not accidents. The Alliance is being tested militarily. We must sharpen NATO’s posture to the point where no one dares to test our deterrence," Budrys said on X.

The defence minister of neighboring Latvia, Andris Spruds, condemned Russia's incursion, which he said underscored the need to strengthen the defence of the eastern flank. "Airspace protection in the Baltics must be further reinforced through NATO's air defence mission," Spruds said in a post on social media platform X.

In New York, Russia’s U.N. ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, told Reuters he wasn’t aware of the incident, but added: "I do not trust what Estonia is saying about Russia."

When told about the accusation by Estonia that Russia had flown jets into its airspace, Nebenzia said: "How tragic."

NO FLIGHT PLANS, TRANSPONDERS OFF

Estonian Defence Forces said the airspace violation occurred on Friday morning in the area of Vaindloo Island, around 100 kilometres (124 miles) from the capital Tallinn.

The aircraft did not have flight plans, their transponders were not switched on and they were not in contact with air traffic control, Estonia said.

While incursions over Vaindloo Island by Russian aircraft are fairly common, they do not usually last as long as Friday's incident. "It's tough to see how this wasn't intentional," a U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said.

The official noted that it was difficult to see a situation where that many Russian aircraft did not know they were in Estonian airspace for that long, but added that a deeper assessment was ongoing.

Jakub M. Godzimirski, a research professor in Russian security policy at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, told Reuters that the incident could be a test, but could also be purely coincidental.

"Still, this happens in a given context, having in mind what happened with the drone incursion in Poland a few days ago," Godzimirski said.

A staunch supporter of Ukraine, Tallinn said in May that Moscow had briefly sent a fighter jet into NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea during an attempt to stop a Russian-bound oil tanker thought to be part of a "shadow fleet" defying Western sanctions on Moscow.

(Reporting by Andrius Sytas, Gram Slattery, Sabine Siebold, Gwladys Fouche, Angelo Amante, Idrees Ali, Anne Kauranen, Louise Rasmussen, Terje Solsvik, Nerijus Adomaitis, Lili Bayer, Andrew Gray, Michelle Nichols, David Latona and Yulia Dysa: Writing by Alan Charlish and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Alex Richardson, Sharon Singleton, Don Durfee and Nick Zieminski)