The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday after three Russian fighter jets violated Estonia’s airspace; the incursion, which lasted nearly twelve minutes, has also prompted NATO consultations.
This marks the first time in Estonia’s 34 years of UN membership that the country has formally requested an emergency meeting of the Security Council.
The interceptors, capable of carrying Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, entered near Vaindloo Island on 19 September, flying without flight plans, transponders or radio contact. They loitered before Italian F-35s, stationed at Ämari airbase under NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, forced them out after Finnish jets had first intercepted the formation over the Gulf of Finland.
“On September 19, three armed Russian fighter jets entered Estonian airspace for 12 minutes – violating Estonia’s territorial integrity and breaching the UN Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force,” said foreign minister Margus Tsahkna. “By openly violating our airspace, Russia is undermining principles that are essential to the security of all UN member states. It is therefore crucial that such actions – especially when committed by a permanent member of the Security Council – are addressed within this very body.”
Tsahkna added: “Just days earlier, 19 Russian drones entered Polish airspace, and a Russian attack drone remained in Romanian airspace for an hour. These are not isolated incidents, but part of a broader pattern of escalation by Russia, both regionally and globally. This behaviour requires an international response. Russia’s conduct is incompatible with the responsibilities of a permanent member of the UN Security Council. And such actions would be unacceptable from any UN member state.”
Prime minister Kristen Michal convened Estonia’s security cabinet on 19 September, and the country invoked NATO’s Article 4. “Such a violation is completely unacceptable, and NATO’s response to any provocation must be united and strong,” Michal said. “We consider it essential to consult with our allies to ensure shared situational awareness and to agree on our next joint steps.”
In an interview with Estonian public broadcasting, Michal underlined that “there are clear parameters for shooting down Russian fighter jets violating Estonia’s border, adding that the country has the means to use force if necessary.”
Kalev Stoicescu, chair of parliament’s defence committee, described the episode as a “brazen provocation” designed to test NATO’s readiness. “The Russians, as usual, stage a demonstrative provocation: ‘So, how exactly are you defending your airspace?’” he said. “The Italians scrambled to escort them out, but in the end the Russians still did as they pleased, as if flying in their own skies.”
Eerik-Niiles Kross, an Estonian MP and security expert, argued that NATO’s rules of engagement explained why the intruders were not shot down. “Russia’s violation of Estonia’s state border on 19 September was clearly unfriendly and deeply unsettling. I understand those who ask why the aircraft were not shot down. As a nation we cannot, and will not, tolerate aircraft from an aggressor state entering our airspace,” he said. But, he noted, “the escalation ladder is clear: warnings by radio, then visual signals, then physical escort. Lethal force is the absolute last resort, requiring political authorisation, unless pilots face an immediate threat to their lives.”
The violation was the fourth against Estonia this year, but the first involving a formation of three supersonic fighters. Previous incidents included a Su-35, an Il-76 transport aircraft, a Mi-8 helicopter, and a Russian border guard vessel sailing into Estonian waters in July.
International reactions were swift. Donald Trump, the US president, warned there “could be big trouble.” Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said: “Again and again, president Putin has escalated, and in response, Europe is increasing its pressure. Our sanctions are an effective tool of economic pressure, and we will keep using them until Russia comes to the negotiating table.” French president Emmanuel Macron condemned the move as “a step in a pattern of provocations and irresponsible behaviour.” Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, called it “an extremely dangerous provocation” and insisted that “we must not show weakness.”
The UN Security Council is the UN’s most powerful decision-making body, tasked with maintaining international peace and security. It has five permanent members with veto power – the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China – and ten rotating members elected for two-year terms (Estonia held the rotation from 2020–2021). The elected seats in 2025 are held by Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Somalia.
For Estonia, NATO’s smallest frontline state, the sight of three Russian fighters loitering for twelve minutes above its territory was both a reminder of its reliance on allied air power and a sign that Moscow is prepared to push boundaries further. As one Estonian official put it, “The question is not whether Russia will try again – but how we will respond.”
