Russia denied on Monday that its aircraft were violating NATO airspace and warned that countries making such accusations risked “escalating tensions.”
Three Russian fighter jets entered NATO member Estonia’s airspace on Friday, remaining there for 12 minutes before being escorted out by NATO aircraft, Tallinn said.
The MiG-31 jets, which were overflying the Gulf of Finland, had their transponders switched off and did not engage with Estonian air traffic control, the Baltic country added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday denied Estonia’s version of events, saying the Russian military operates “strictly within the confines of international law, including those pertaining to flights.”
Russia considers Estonia’s statements “empty, unfounded, and a continuation of the country’s utterly unstoppable policy of escalating tensions and provoking a confrontational atmosphere,” Peskov told reporters.
NATO ambassadors will convene on Tuesday for talks on the incursion, after Estonia called for urgent discussions under Article Four of the alliance’s founding treaty.
Poland invoked Article Four earlier this month after around 20 Russian drones violated its airspace.
