Overview

• Estonia lodged a formal protest and requested NATO Article 4 consultations after reporting that three Russian MiG-31s spent about 12 minutes in its airspace before being intercepted by Italian F-35s from Ämari.
• Russia’s Defence Ministry denied any violation, saying the MiG-31s flew from Karelia to Kaliningrad in strict compliance with international airspace rules.
• NATO is reinforcing eastern air policing through the Sentinella dell'Est effort, with UK Royal Air Force Typhoons completing their first patrols over Poland and Spain detailing additional aircraft and radar support.
• The European Commission adopted a 19th sanctions package and is proposing to accelerate a ban on Russian LNG to 1 January 2027, add shadow-fleet designations, and advance a loan to Ukraine backed by liquid balances from frozen Russian assets.
• Estonia said the UN Security Council will meet in an emergency session on 22 September to discuss the incident, as Poland reported overnight fighter scrambles during Russian strikes on Ukraine and EU leaders plan to review the response on 1 October.