Three Russian MiG-31 fighters violated Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland on Friday, Estonia said, triggering complaints of a dangerous new provocation from the EU and NATO.

Italian F-35 fighters attached to NATO's air defence support mission in the Baltic states were scrambled to intercept the Russian jets and warn them off, Estonian and Italian officials said, with alliance chief Mark Rutte praising the "quick and decisive response".

Sweden and Finland also scrambled rapid reaction aircraft, a spokesman for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) told reporters.

The alleged incursion came at a moment of heightened tension on NATO's eastern border, after Warsaw last week complained that around 20 Russian drones overflew its territory -- though the Kremlin denied t

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