Moscow accuses NATO member state Estonia of falsely claiming that Russian military jets had violated its airspace last week, saying Tallinn has no evidence to back up its claim and is seeking to ratchet up East-West tensions.

Estonia said on Friday that three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets had entered Estonian airspace without permission and stayed for a total of 12 minutes before they were forced to withdraw in an episode that Western officials said was designed to test NATO's readiness and resolve.

The UN Security Council is due to discuss the matter later on Monday, and NATO Article 4 consultations about the incident, which came just more than a week after more than 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace prompting NATO jets to shoot some of them down, are due to take place on Tuesday.

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