“We will intercept and shoot down,” stated Estonia’s Foreign Minister, Margus Tsahkna, at a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andriy Sybiga, during the latter’s official visit.
Tsahkna emphasized that NATO has had a protocol in place for two decades to respond to such situations and to “defend its territory from the very first second, from the first attack.”
Referring to a 12-minute air attack reported a month ago, which Moscow denied, the Estonian Foreign Minister said NATO aircraft were “ready to act” should an “immediate threat” to the sovereignty of the Baltic nation be detected.
“This is not the first time Russia has tested our capabilities,” Tsahkna noted, recalling similar incidents in neighboring Baltic states as well as in Romania and Poland, where approximately 10 Russian drones were reported to have flown over their airspaces.
Tsahkna highlighted that these incidents have prompted NATO partners to increase coordination and strengthen their capabilities.
Russia has been accused by several NATO countries of repeatedly violating their airspaces since the beginning of its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but last month’s incursions led NATO to prepare for a potential escalation of the conflict.
On September 7, a Russian helicopter entered Estonian airspace near Vaindloo Island in the Gulf of Finland, prompting the Tallinn government to summon the Russian embassy’s chargé d’affaires to protest, noting it was the third violation this year.
Several Russian drones have also been reported violating the airspaces of other countries such as Germany, Poland, Belgium, Denmark, and Lithuania, leading Estonia to call for an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council and activate Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which provides for consultations among allies in the event of a threat to one of the member countries.
Platform with Lusa
