Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Moscow, September 20 (Xinhua) — The Russian Ministry of Defense has denied Estonia's claim that Russian fighter jets violated its airspace. Following the incident, the Baltic country requested NATO consultations.
The Russian MiG-31 fighter jets did not violate Estonian airspace; the flight took place more than three kilometers from Vaindlo Island, RIA Novosti reports, citing a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense.
"During the flight, the Russian aircraft did not deviate from the agreed-upon air route and did not violate Estonian airspace. The aircraft's flight route lay over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, more than three kilometers from Vaindlo Island," the statement reads.
According to the agency, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets completed a scheduled flight from Karelia to an airfield in the Kaliningrad region on Friday.
On the other hand, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal wrote the following on the social media platform X on Friday: "This morning, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace. NATO fighter jets responded, and the Russian aircraft were forced to retreat. This violation is completely unacceptable. The Estonian government has decided to request consultations with NATO in accordance with Article 4 [of the Alliance Charter]."
Earlier on Friday, the Estonian Foreign Ministry announced it had summoned Russia's Chargé d'Affaires to deliver a note of protest regarding the alleged violation of Estonian airspace by Russian MiG-31 fighter jets. According to the Estonian Foreign Ministry, three Russian fighter jets entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland and remained there for 12 minutes.
As RIA Novosti reported from Brussels, NATO spokesperson Alison Arth an hour later repeated the Estonian Foreign Ministry's unconfirmed accusations and added that the alliance had scrambled aircraft in response.
"Earlier today, Russian aircraft violated Estonian airspace. NATO responded immediately," NATO spokesperson X said in a social media post. It clarified that the aircraft were scrambled.
On October 1, the leaders of the European Union (EU) will discuss a collective response to Russia's alleged violations of EU airspace, European Council President António Costa announced on social media.
“We will discuss our collective response to Russia’s actions at an informal meeting of the European Council in Copenhagen on October 1,” the publication said.
According to a report from Washington, US President Donald Trump said he did not like reports of an incident involving alleged Russian fighter jets.
"I don't like it. I don't like it when that happens, it could get into big trouble, but I'll let you know later," Trump told reporters, adding that he would soon be briefed on the matter.
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