Russia's "brazen" NATO airspace violations head to UN Security Council
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Russian President Vladimir Putin in Perm, Russia on Sept. 19. Photo: Contributor/Getty Images
The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Monday to discuss Russian fighter jet incursions into NATO member Estonia's airspace, the Estonian government and the UN said.
Why it matters: NATO countries have reported several such violations in recent weeks. European leaders warn the incursions are a calculated escalation of Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.
- "By openly violating our airspace, Russia is undermining principles that are essential to the security of all UN member states," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said in a statement Sunday.
Catch up quick: Three Russian Federation MIG-31 jets entered Estonia's airspace and remained there for 12 minutes late last week.
- NATO responded "immediately" and intercepted the aircraft, per spokesperson Allison Hart. The alliance's response included Italian F-35 fighters based in Estonia, in addition to aircraft from Sweden and Finland, according to NATO Allied Command Operations.
- NATO launched its "Eastern Sentry" earlier in September to bolster the alliance's defenses along its eastern flank.
What they're saying: "Russia has already violated Estonia's airspace four times this year, which in itself is unacceptable," Tsahkna said a Friday statement, describing the incursion as "unprecedentedly brazen."
- He said that Russia's "increasingly extensive" boundary testing and "aggressiveness" should be countered with a "swift increase in political and economic pressure."
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a "systematic response" to "a systematic Russian campaign directed against Europe, against NATO, against the West."
The other side: The Russian Ministry of Defense denied that it violated Estonian airspace and said the flight complied with international regulations.
The big picture: NATO states condemned Russia's repeated violations of Polish airspace earlier this month. Days later, Moscow's drones crossed into Romanian airspace, as well.
- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk invoked the NATO Treaty's Article 4 to coordinate a response with other member nations of the defensive alliance.
- Russia's Defense Ministry has said its drones did not intentionally trespass in foreign air space — an explanation European leaders have rejected.
Our thought bubble, via Axios' national security editor Dave Lawler: For many NATO countries, the idea that Russia's expansionism could go beyond Ukraine is a hypothetical.
- In Estonia and other "front-line" states, that's seen as a very real threat. The Baltic country has even been digging anti-tank trenches along its border with Russia.
Go deeper: Senate mounts new Russia pressure campaign
