Overview

• Estonia says three Russian MiG-31s entered its airspace last week, citing radar tracks and unanswered radio calls, with Italian pilots reporting visual contact at close range.
• Estonian foreign minister Margus Tsahkna stated future violations could face interception and potential shoot-down, echoing a call by US president Donald Trump.
• Defence analysts including Keir Giles and Mark Galeotti warn a kinetic conflict could become likely unless NATO delivers faster, unified deterrence with longer‑range capabilities.
• The UK keeps about 900 troops in Estonia under Operation Cabrit, reinforcing NATO’s forward posture on the alliance’s eastern flank.
• Estonian industry signed an MoU to develop a regional ‘Drone Wall,’ and Estonia is set to join allies in a £20 million effort to deliver several hundred reconnaissance drones to Ukraine.