Overview

• Allies met under Article 4 on September 23, condemned Russia’s 12‑minute incursion by three MiG‑31s into Estonian airspace, and said Allied jets intercepted and escorted them out.
• NATO framed the breach as part of a wider pattern that includes the September 10 mass drone incursion into Poland and recent violations reported by Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Romania.
• NATO’s Eastern Sentry vigilance activity, launched on September 12, is active across the eastern flank with assets from France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, and the Czech Republic, with no new U.S. deployments announced so far.
• At an emergency UN Security Council session, Estonia presented evidence of the incursion and reported support from 50 countries and the European Union, as Germany and others condemned Russia’s actions.
• Allies reiterated that Article 5 is ironclad, debated rules of engagement for drones versus crewed jets, and accelerated work on integrated air and counter‑drone defenses with SACEUR empowered to adapt the posture.