Overview

• NATO ambassadors, meeting under Article 4 at Estonia’s request, condemned a pattern of airspace violations and vowed to use all necessary military and non-military tools, reaffirming an ironclad Article 5.
• Estonia reported three Russian MiG-31s entered its airspace for about 12 minutes on Sept. 19 before allied jets intercepted them, and NATO assessed no immediate threat; Moscow denies any breach.
• Secretary-General Mark Rutte said allied forces responded quickly and decisively and that the Eastern Sentry mission is reinforcing the eastern flank to counter low-cost aerial threats.
• Frontline governments hardened national rules as Poland and Sweden warned they would shoot down violating aircraft and Lithuania passed a law authorizing its forces to down any drone breaching its airspace.
• Drone sightings that temporarily closed airports in Copenhagen and Oslo are under investigation, and Estonia signaled it is willing to host British F-35A jets if needed.