Overview

• Estonia said three Russian MiG-31s entered its airspace over the Gulf of Finland and remained for about 12 minutes.
• Estonian Defence Forces reported the jets had no filed flight plan and flew with transponders switched off.
• NATO’s Baltic Air Policing responded, with Italian F-35s scrambling to intercept the aircraft without any reported casualties.
• Tallinn summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires to protest what it called an unprecedentedly brazen violation, the fourth this year after incidents on May 13, June 22 and September 7.
• NATO and EU officials condemned the action, with Allison Hart calling it dangerous behavior and Ursula von der Leyen urging quick approval of a 19th sanctions package, citing a pattern that includes recent drone incursions over Poland and Romania.