Estonia to request NATO Article 4 consultations after Russian jets violate airspace

ISTANBUL

Estonia announced Friday that it will request NATO Article 4 consultations after three Russian fighter jets entered its airspace earlier in the day.

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said on the US social media company X that three Russian MiG-31 aircraft violated the country’s airspace in the morning.

He noted that NATO fighters scrambled in response, forcing the Russian planes to retreat.

“Such violation is totally unacceptable,” Michal said, adding that Tallinn will invoke Article 4 of the NATO Treaty, which allows any member state to call consultations when its territorial integrity, political independence, or security is threatened.

Estonia reported that three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered its airspace near Vaindloo Island on Friday morning without permission, remaining for nearly 12 minutes.

The Estonian Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s charge d’affaires in Tallinn to protest what Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna described as an “unprecedentedly brutal” violation.