On Friday, Russian military jets entered Estonia’s airspace, a NATO member, for a duration of 12 minutes, escalating tensions within the alliance. The jets were escorted five nautical miles, or nearly nine kilometers, into NATO airspace. Estonia’s government deemed this incursion “unprecedentedly brazen.” The resulting political crisis was met with an unusual and rapid response from NATO. Italian F-35s were scrambled to intercept the Russian aircraft and escort them away from the area.
The Russian jets didn’t have any flight plans filed. They all shut down their transponders and stopped communicating with air traffic control. This deviation from standard aviation procedures was very concerning to NATO executives and NATO countries. Responding to this major incursion, Estonia moved quickly. They summoned the chief Russian ambassador on their territory to register an official protest and to provide a formal note of protest over the violation.
This incident occurred just days after the end of joint military maneuvers held by Russia and Belarus, “Zapad-2025.” The timing couldn’t be better. Among other things, the exercises were said to have featured troop rehearsals for launching Russian nuclear weapons. This has served to exacerbate NATO’s fears regarding Russia’s military posture in the region.
On August 22, 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin touring an exhibition at the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics. Underlying causes At the very heart of this event were developments in military capabilities. Russia’s Defence Ministry reacted to the incursion by first denying that its jets had entered Estonian airspace. They claimed that the jets had been over neutral waters.
“The flight was carried out in strict conformity with international rules governing airspace with no violation of the borders of other states as is confirmed by independent checks,” – Russia’s Defence Ministry
Though Russia continues to deny the accusation, the incident has shaken NATO member states. In June, Poland claimed that two Russian military jets entered the exclusion zone around the Petrobaltic drilling platform in the Baltic Sea. This escalation came only days before a similar violation of the Estonian airspace. On the nights of September 9-10, more than 20 Russian drones violated Polish airspace. In retort, NATO aircraft quickly scrambled to intercept and down a number of those same drones.
Estonia’s Prime Minister Kristen Michal emphasized NATO’s capability to respond effectively to such provocations.
“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,” – NATO spokesperson
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna recently declared that Estonia would pursue more air defense assets. This decision is intended to be responsive to these recent developments. Pointing to continuing threats, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Lithuania’s Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene said that NATO members need stronger defense capacities on NATO’s frontiers.
“We are being tested, our citizens are being threatened almost every day now,” – Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene
This dangerous situation points to a greater trend of Russia’s aggressive behavior. They too often fly military overflights over the Baltic Sea, linking mainland Russia with their exclave of Kaliningrad. This pattern has caused deep concern in the region for its security and the reliability of NATO’s deterrent posture.